An Enemy's Hope
by A Hopeful Voice
Summary: For the first nineteen years of Rose Tyler's life, nothing happened. Then she met the Doctor, and Amy and Rory, and everything changed. She saw the universe and made a difference. But then they were warned: Silence will fall. AU.
1. Prologue

**Update: Fixed a few errors.**

**Based on ****a youtube video. I got permission from oOMathiildeOo to publish this. Her video, "Eleven&Rose (AU) / Fake Trailer", is fantastic! I seriously recommend watching it, but of course you don't have to if you are anti-youtube or something.**

**This is AU, obviously, and features Eleven/Rose, Eleven/River, and Amy/Rory. There will be language (nothing you wouldn't see on network television), violence, and possible sexual suggestions (though brief and still rated T).**

**Most importantly, the Doctor is married to River, and all of season 5 has happened, but not season 6. More on that later.**

**Disclaimer (for all chapters after this as well): I do not own Doctor Who or anything related. I am not the BBC.**

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**An Enemy's Hope**

_Prologue_

The only way to describe this sensation was like drowning. It was as if the floodgates had been torn down and now the waters of the sea were crashing over her. Darkness covered her, smothering her, asphyxiating her. Heading pounding, ears ringing-surely this was the most painful way to go.

Even sound seemed muffled and movement slow and restrained. Time dragged heavy and slow as the darkness pulled her down deeper into the blackness. Her throat grew sore, like she was screaming, even though she didn't know if she actually was. Wispy tendrils of weight grasped at her feet, keeping her from rising to the surface where clean and clear air waited for her. What she wouldn't give for her lungs to be filled with air right now and not this choking sensation.

The light shining in her eyes was so bright that it seemed to shroud her in darkness. Her mind kept telling her to close her eyes, but her body didn't agree. Neither did her captors. The light filled her body, and the darkness grew deeper and thicker. It grew harder to breathe, harder to think. Even if she could control her situation, she wasn't sure what she would do to stop this.

Where was she again? The suffocation kept her mind from organizing her thoughts and memories. How did she get here? Who was she? Even her own identity fled from her like the so-called friends she had. (But was that possible? Could friends really abandon her? Did she even have friends? She couldn't remember.)

She lost all feeling in her body and felt like she was floating in the heavy darkness, but at the same time was drowning in the deepest trench in the darkest sea. If this was Purgatory, she wished she had paid more attention to what Heaven would be like.

The waters became too much, and she lost consciousness, falling into the dark with no chance of escape.


	2. The Christmas Encounter

**Thanks for the feedback on the prologue. As promised, here is the first chapter. Enjoy!**

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_Chapter I - The Christmas Encounter_

Snow fell gently on the streets of London, covering the wet ground in a thin layer of beauty. It seemed to cleanse the air and purify the city from the harm it had encountered in its lifetime. The snowflakes drifted with the wind as they fell to the ground-the epitome of peace. Everything was still, strange for a city where a terrible family of renegade Ghastlies had possessed a wealthy family.

Surely aliens knew that the whole Robin Hood 'steal-from-the-rich-give-to-the-poor' thing only worked in books. Especially when it concerned children, even if the intent was good at heart. Taking children from rich homes to give them as Christmas gifts to couples without children was problematic on so many different levels.

Fortunately, the Doctor had swung in just in time, as always, and saved the day. Amy and Rory Pond (technically, Williams, but they all knew that was wrong) helped out, of course, and it was the husband of this young couple who was able to finally suck it up and take care of the Ghastlies, banishing them into space without a physical form. Clearly the Roman Centurion's bravery and force had not deserted him when the Doctor rebooted the universe nearly four years before.

Maybe it was because he longed to have children so much, or maybe it was just because he was rarely blinded by emotions (unless it concerned his wife), but Rory Williams had no mercy when it came to taking children from loving homes.

Returning the children was no easy feat, as some were too young to know where they lived, and some were too confused as to what was going on to give a proper address. It was unfortunate the aliens were not around to help. However, only a few hours passed where the Doctor, Amy, and Rory were busy shuffling kids around the TARDIS, acting as babysitters while they tried to track down the residence of each child.

Only one boy remained, and he was clearly entranced by the Doctor and his time-traveling machine. Andy was eight years old, and an orphan. He did not want to go back to his foster family, even if he was cared and provided for. Insecure and nervous, he followed the Doctor around like a lost puppy. The time lord seemed to think that maybe he could keep Andy, but Amy and Rory were forced to pull him aside and remind him that humans were not pets. (Which begged the question, was that how the Doctor really saw his companions?)

Time passed with the playing of board games and cards until it was nearly three in the morning. Andy was practically falling asleep in Amy's arms as he leaned up against her on one of the many sofas in the library. Rory looked on fondly as Amy stroked the child's hair absentmindedly, before the Doctor stood and announced (wearing the tiara from 'Pretty Pretty Princess' on his head), "It's time this young fellow gets home."

"Doctor," Amy protested, "we can't just dump him at his house so that he thinks that it was all a dream. It's not fair."

"We can't keep him!" the Doctor exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air dramatically.

Rory didn't really see the argument. "I don't want to take him back either, Amy, but the TARDIS is hardly safe for a kid."

Amy sighed and looked down at Andy. "I guess you're right. Even we have problems staying alive sometimes."

"Not to mention in the same place," the Doctor added under his breath. It was rule one after all, not to run off. Well, rule one behind 'The Doctor Lies.' So rule two, then. But then they would all be shifted down a ranking. Perhaps it would just be simpler to say rule one-and-a-half.

Andy was gently woken up, and the three time travelers had to explain that it was necessary for him to go back home so that Father Christmas could come and bring him presents. The jolly man wouldn't come if he wasn't at home in bed. Still a child, Andy believed them wholeheartedly and was practically itching to get into his bed, having long forgotten the promise of adventure he'd seen before.

His human companions were exhausted and practically falling asleep on their feet, so the Doctor sent the Ponds off to bed and took Andy home himself. While noticeably full of awe for the Doctor, Andy was completely taken by Amy and Rory. He kept speaking about how "great" they were. For once, the Doctor was not the center of attention, but it didn't completely bother him. It was probably just the Christmas spirit in the air. He always did get more emotional around Christmas time.

Tiny hand in larger one, the two boys (one a child and the other a child-at-heart) stepped through the TARDIS doors and into the night. Under his breath, the Doctor mumbled, "Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light," to a deaf audience.

While Christmas was what made him happiest-seeing the joy on the faces of others-it also made him the saddest. He was often reminded of the many companions he had found and lost. Many of them had shared a Christmas with him, and the memories were too fond to forget. And now most were on their own, sometimes together with others whom he'd left behind or left him. The holiday reminded him that he was, indeed, alone.

How long would Amy and Rory stay? They were his best friends, but he knew that they wanted domestics, and he was unprepared and unwilling to lower his standards on _his_ TARDIS. He loved them, but the Doctor never wanted to settle down. That's why he ran in the first place.

Always running from the heartache that caught up with him in the end.

The Doctor's attention was brought back to the present when he heard Andy giggle. Staring up at the falling snow with wide eyes, the child was amazed. Grabbing the boy's attention with a squeeze of his hand, the Doctor stuck his tongue out to catch the snowflakes. Andy did the same, and they laughed their way down the street.

Andy's foster home was in a council estate, which is why it was somewhat surprising that he was taken by the Ghastlies. The aliens seemed to want to give children from rich homes to barren parents, but maybe they took pity on the poor orphan and wanted to give him a good home.

Good intentions did not always yield good results.

A sign outside the complex identified the place as Powell Estate. The buildings looked worn down, with an old playground currently occupied by thuggish looking teenagers. The Doctor hoped that Andy did not feel the urge to hang out with them after school. All wearing leather, smoking cigarettes, and drinking what was probably not water from a bottle that was being passed around, the boys were dressed like a cliche rebel and the girls looked like they belonged on a street corner.

As the Doctor and Andy passed, they went unnoticed, fortunately, mainly because two other teens had chosen the same moment to enter the vicinity opposite the Doctor and his young friend. The main group of teenagers called out to the passing boy and girl. "Hey, look it's Mickey the Idiot and his sluttish girlfriend!" "Yeah, did you have to pry her from the hands of those rockers?" "Always did think she was better than us, that bitch of yours." "She'll always just be another bum from the slums."

Neither male or female made any indication that they had heard the insults, but only continued on hand in hand towards the stairwell. Andy saw the Christmas tree lights in his window, and sprinted towards the door. He didn't want to be his home to be passed by by the elusive Santa Claus.

The Doctor followed more slowly, taking his time up the stairs. Seeing Andy's excitement just made him sad. He longed to have children around him again. Call him an old man (which, of course, he was), but spending time with so many young people today made him miss his own children and grandchildren more than ever. What he wouldn't give to have their hands in his as they saw the wonders of the universe. That was his favorite part: seeing the beauty of the cosmos through their eyes. It made everything new and brilliant again.

Andy banged on the door with his fist repeatedly until the door was opened by a petite woman with dark hair. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him inside. Andy didn't even look back, having forgotten to say goodbye to his friend. It was better that way.

A sad smile on his face, the Doctor turned and left the way he came. He was able to slip past the disgruntled teenagers without being subjected to any pitiful insults. If it weren't Christmas and they weren't precious to him (as all humans were nowadays), they would risk facing the wrath and fury of a time lord.

The journey back to the TARDIS went by more quickly, even with the Doctor dragging his feet as he contemplated his lonely life. No wonder the inhabitants of the universe insisted on calling him the Lonely God. His fingers brushed up against the blue wood of the police box door, deftly flitting over the lock as he reached for the key in his jacket pocket.

"You alright, mate?"

The voice took him by surprise. Spinning around, the Doctor saw that it was the girl from earlier who had taken the brunt of the insults from the teens in the Powell Estate. She had been heading home, hadn't she? Why was she back out here in the cold snow and icy wind? He looked her over. She was average height with long, blonde hair and brown eyes. A kind look could be seen on her face, and proved by the amount of pink she was wearing.

It took the Doctor a few seconds to regain speech capabilities, so he only managed to stutter, "Uh, um, yeah."

The girl smiled and nodded, completely aware that she had interrupted his thoughts and she was unwanted. She looked down at her feet and shoved her hands in her pockets before meeting his eyes again and giving the ancient man a smile. "See ya."

The Doctor glanced up at the sky and smiled, filled with an unexplainable hope. She scampered off back toward the council estate, causing the Doctor to wonder who she was, and why she had spoken to him. Had she followed him back out? Why did she talk to him in the first place? No matter what the real reason was, the Doctor was pleased with the kindness she had offered him. Not many people would stop on the street and ask a stranger what was wrong, especially if they were the one being verbally assaulted previously.

By the time his frozen fingers managed to unlock the TARDIS door, she was completely out of sight. The console room was warm and empty. Even though Amy and Rory were here somewhere, it seemed just as lonely as ever. The Doctor hated nights for this particular reason.

Hours ticked by slowly, and no matter what he did to occupy his time, the Doctor's thoughts kept returning to the girl from outside. He managed to get into the TARDIS files and find a recording of their encounter outside. The Doctor wasn't entirely sure where the TARDIS camera was, but he was fortunate for its occasional uses such as this one.

Why had she been so kind to him, a complete stranger?

Buried in his thoughts as he watched and re-watched the clip, another voice took him completely by surprise. "What's that?" asked Amy, walking over to the Doctor with Rory. The couple looked at the girl's face, frozen on the monitor. Her smile seemed to light up the room, and the Ponds were not oblivious to the effect that it had on the Doctor-which even he probably didn't realize.

Their suspicions of his lack of understanding (or maybe he was just being purposely enigmatic) were proved with his answer. "A woman."

"Well," Rory said, "we can see that."

"Who is she, Doctor?" asked Amy, folding her arms over her chest as her husband wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him. Joking like she always did in conversations surrounding River-who may or may not be his wife-Amy teased, "Does the Doctor have a new crush? Sounds like River's gonna be disappointed."

The Doctor scowled and gave the Scot a glare. "No. I don't even know her name. She was just kind to me, that's all."

"She was nice to you?" asked Rory. That shouldn't really have been something that made the Doctor so thrilled, but at the same time was something that they didn't come across too often. They were always busy running from the people who weren't nice. "That's it?"

As if it were the most obvious thing in the world, the Doctor answered, "Yes. It was a weird Christmas, alright?"

This was a side of the Doctor that Amy and Rory rarely got to see. Usually, he was so upbeat and childlike that they forgot that he really was a heartbroken old man with so many horrifying memories. Simple kindness probably seemed like a breath of fresh air to he who had been walking in a haze of smoke for his entire life.

"What are you going to do about it?" Amy asked.

The Doctor paused, thinking. He had no idea, but maybe another person on the TARDIS wouldn't be a bad thing. She could keep him company when Amy and Rory were off on a date doing couple stuff. River was hardly ever around except when needed, leaving the Doctor all on his own. While that didn't necessarily bother him, being on his own, he often grew lonely.

Therefore, the only offer the Doctor could give was: "I don't know."

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**Please review! I've been working very hard on this and I want to hear your opinions. Thanks! x**

**Next time: Rose**


	3. Rose

**Thanks for the response! And for those who asked if this was based off a youtube video, yes! I got permission from oOMathiildeOo to publish this. Her video, "Eleven&Rose (AU) / Fake Trailer", is fantastic! I seriously recommend watching it, but of course you don't have to if you are anti-youtube or something.**

**Oh, and it looks like I'll be posting on Sundays. I'll let you know if that changes.**

**So here we officially meet Rose Tyler. Enjoy!**

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_Chapter II - Rose_

Rose Tyler's life was mundane and boring. Every day was the same, with hardly any changes. She woke up to a messy bedroom in a messy flat in a messy estate. She went to work at a department store where she had only a few friends, and they weren't even really friends-only people who she would go get a drink with because they were fun. She would go home to sit on the sofa and eat chips while she watched telly. She went to bed in her messy room, dreaming of a cleaner life where the glass was pristine and the slate was new.

Even her love life was rubbish. Sure, she loved Mickey Smith, but Rose wasn't sure if she loved him the way he loved her. It seemed more like a relationship of convenience. They were best mates. It was only right if they ended up together.

Sometimes Rose thought maybe she was better off alone.

There had to be something meaningful in her life. It was so routine that Rose never found pleasure in anything. Yeah, she would laugh at her friend's jokes and stupidity, and had great days, but there was something missing. It left her empty inside. She knew that there had to be something _more_.

It didn't help that she'd been having all of those dreams that made her believe in a better life in a better place with better people. She'd always had her head in the clouds and shot for the stars, but now the man of her dreams (she wasn't quite sure if in the literal or figurative sense) had a face. No name, but a face was a start. Of course, she had had this dream for so long that she began to wonder if the man was even real.

The man made his first appearance three months before on Christmas Eve when Rose saw him in that alley around the corner. She remembered nothing about him, except that she thought he was a bit odd looking, especially standing outside a big, blue box. Rose rarely spoke to strangers; she didn't know why the words just came out of her mouth.

Now he was in her dreams, often whisking her away to adventures around the world. Their relationship was purely platonic, seeing as Rose never completely saw his face; it was always obscured somehow in the sense that dreams never seem to make. He took her to see the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Taj Mahal. He was a fairytale in her mind-perfect in every way.

If only he were real.

"Rose, sweetheart, I was talking to you!" her mum's voice broke through the wall of her thoughts. Shaking her head and blinking rapidly to clear her mind, Rose looked up at her mother, Jackie, who looked upset. Her hands were on her hips: never a good sign. "I was just asking if you were gonna be home for dinner or not cos I thought about having Howard over."

She sighed and brushed some stray blonde hair out of her face. Rose hated Howard. Well, she hated most of her mum's boyfriends. None could live up to the wonderful guy that her dad had been, even if she didn't remember him. "Uh, I was gonna go to the pub with Mickey and Shareen and some mates. Do whatever you want."

Jackie smiled and picked up the house phone. "Good," she said as a smile grew on her face, "I'll phone him now."

Rose stood and brushed some crumbs off her jeans. "I've got to go to work now or I'll be late again." Her mother nodded and waved while she waited for the flavor of the month to pick up. Without another word to each other, Rose left the flat and Jackie turned her attention to the telly while she waited.

Taking the stairs quickly, Rose hoped she could reach a bus that would get her to work on time. Fortunately, a red public transit bus was waiting at the stop. Rose started a jog to snag a ride before it pulled away. Paying with her bus pass was quick and easy, so it didn't take long for her to take a seat before it pulled away. As always, the drive was long and boring-much like Rose's life.

Before she knew it, Rose was at her stop: Henrik's Department Store. Not exactly the best job in the world, but it helped pay the rent and took up her time. The day passed slowly, sun leaking through the windows and making Rose wish she could be outside instead of cooped up in here with all this merchandise she couldn't have. She did get a small break for lunch when she ran out to eat lunch with Mickey, but it was short-lived, and then she was back in the racks, folding jumpers and smiling at the posh women who shopped there.

Rose had many more ambitions in life than to just be a shop girl, except she wasn't sure what those ambitions were. She thought more big picture, than in details. It wasn't like she would get anywhere anyway. Once a council estate girl, always a council estate girl.

And then the day was over, and Rose was back on the bus, eating chips as she stared out the window, watching life pass by. Maybe being married to Mickey and living in the Estate wouldn't be so bad. It was the life she was used to, after all. Just as downhearted as she had been before work, Rose made her way home.

Opening the door to her flat, Rose gasped and instantly covered her eyes with her hand. Gritting her teeth, she said, "God, mum, I'm sorry. Plans fell through-I'll just go-sorry-" Seeing her own mother snogging a man on the sofa gave Rose the creeps every time it happened.

Jackie detangled herself and said, "It's alright, sweetheart. Rose, meet Bill. Bill, this is my daughter, Rose."

_What happened to Howard?_ Rose wondered, sizing the man up. Like always, he seemed like a good-for-nothing loser. But hey, weren't they all? "I'll just, uh," Rose stammered as she closed the door behind her and headed down the hall, "go to bed now. Long day. 'Night."

"Goodnight, sweetheart," Jackie called after her. Rose shuddered as she closed her bedroom door. Where did her mum even find these blokes? And she gave Rose a hard time about the Jimmy Stone situation. But that was long past, and now she was with Mickey-a perfect gentleman. Well, not perfect, and not a gentleman, but maybe an imperfect bloke who genuinely cared and treated Rose right. It was all she could ever ask for. He could do so much better than her.

Rose changed into her pink pajamas, set her alarm for the next morning, and went to sleep in her messy bed, in her messy room, in her messy life.

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She woke up with a start, sitting straight up in bed. Her head wobbled for a minute as she tried to orient herself. The clock read 2.14 and no sunlight brightened the room. What had that noise been? Rose picked up her mobile and used the light to try and see around the room. All was silent and in its place. Maybe it was just her mum and-no, she didn't even want to think about that. If they wanted to do _that_, at least have the decency to go to _his_ flat. It really was no wonder Rose spent a lot of time at Mickey's. Well, even if it was because they were-

There the sound was again! Rose bit her lip and strained her ears to figure out what was going on. It sounded like something fell and then someone spoke out. Maybe it was just her imagination. But no, someone definitely just whispered something.

Rose stepped out of bed and put her feet in her slippers, using her mobile as a torch. With her hand on the doorknob, ready to open it, Rose grabbed a stray hanger. If worse came to worst, she could hit someone with it while she phoned the police or called for her mum.

As quietly as possible, Rose turned the doorknob and opened her door. The hall was dark, as was the kitchen and entryway into the living room. Her mum's door was shut, so it obviously wasn't her making the noise in the kitchen. Maybe it was Bob, or whatever his name was? But that wouldn't make sense. Stepping carefully to avoid the squeaky spots of the floor, Rose walked towards the main area of the flat.

Yeah, that was definitely a person speaking. "Shut up, Rory!" a woman hissed. Rose bit her lip again and continued on, wielding the hanger in front of her like a bat. Every sound seemed magnified in the eery darkness, even though Rose knew this flat better than the back of her own hand. What would burglars want here? They had nothing valuable.

Rose hesitated once she reached the corner where she knew was her last hiding place. With a deep breath, Rose jumped into the kitchen and flipped the light switch on. The intruders cried out in surprise and Rose hissed, "Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my flat?"

Her eyes scanned them for weapons, but saw none. There were two people: a tall man in a plaid shirt and a woman with long red hair. They both held their hands up with wide eyes and panicked looks. A whirring noise was still going and the woman's eyes flicked down between her and the man. Rose hadn't noticed before, but there was a man practically under the sink, muttering to himself.

The ginger cleared her throat and the man popped out of the cupboard and looked at the weird gadget in his hand, still speaking to himself in gibberish that Rose didn't understand. Once again, Rose took a breath and forced out (albeit at a low tone so as not to wake her mother), "Who are you?"

"Sorry-"

Rose interrupted the plaid man and whispered, "Be quiet or my mum will wake up and trust me, we don't want that."

Plaid man's eyes looked nervously at the woman's before meeting Rose's. "Uh, sorry. We didn't mean to intrude."

"You're the one in _my_ flat." She looked at the second man who had stopped muttering to himself but refocused his attention to the ceiling. He looked ridiculous in his tweed coat, braces, and bow tie. The other two looked normal, but he looked stupid. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm Amy Pond," the woman said. Her voice was even, and took Rose by surprise. She never encountered many people from Scotland. "This is my husband, Rory, and the Doctor."

Rose realized that she was still holding the hanger and instantly felt silly. She put it down on the counter and crossed her arms. "You still haven't told me what you're doing here."

The man with the bow tie-the Doctor-looked down at Rose and gasped. She hadn't even realized, not really seeing his face, but wasn't this the man from her dreams? By the look on his face, he was just realizing it, too. But before either could ask any questions, a loud bang crashed in the flat above. "Run!" the Doctor said, and Amy and Rory took off. The Doctor grabbed Rose's hand and practically yanked her out of the flat.

They sprinted toward the stairwell, where they all ran up one flight. "Who lives above you?" asked the Doctor.

"I don't know," Rose said, wondering how she fit into all of this madness. "Just a couple of nutters who like making lots of noise."

Amy and Rory snorted. "Sounds like it alright."

They reached the flat directly above Rose's and stopped outside the door. Rose looked around, hoping that they would see how confused she was and would start explaining things. "What is that thing?" she asked as the Doctor pulled out his scanning thing and shined the light on the door.

"Sonic screwdriver."

"What?" Rose asked. Who _were_ these people?

Rory took pity on Rose and explained, "It's a screwdriver, but sonic."

"Figured that out for myself, thanks," Rose said. He had clarified nothing. The door swung open and Rose decided that's how the trio got into her place. "What are we doing here?"

The Doctor began scanning the area with his sonic screwdriver as he said, "We picked up some unusual readings coming from this flat-spikes in radiation and gamma rays. Normally, that would instantly kill anything within kilometers of it, but this is contained somehow, sealed off. But still, incredibly dangerous and able to explode any second."

"And what would happen if it did?" Rose asked.

"Bye bye, Earth," the Doctor said simply.

"Where is it, Do-" Rory started before being interrupted by a screech that could not be made by a person. Rose spun around with the others and cried out in shock at what stood before her: two seven-foot-tall creatures with milk white skin and bright blue eyes. They both cocked their head to the side and stared at the four intruders. It was like they were staring _through _them. Rose fought the urge to look away, but continued to stare into the electric blue eyes.

She felt a hand slip into hers and the Doctor whispered, "What's your name?"

Taken aback, she choked out, "Rose."

"Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life!" But they didn't head for the door. They journeyed deeper into the flat, until they reached the room right above Rose's bedroom, barricading themselves in. While Rose helped Amy and Rory move furniture in front of the door, the Doctor dug through the boxes until he pulled out a large glowing cube.

"We haven't got much time," the Doctor said as he worked his magic with the sonic screwdriver, "and my screwdriver is useless against this damn thing. But if we can just submerge it...I'm going to need approximately sixteen liters of water, a copy of _The Great Gatsby_, and a giraffe. Okay, forget the giraffe. And the book. But there's no sink in here."

Amy and Rory were leaning up against the door, using their own weight to keep the others from getting in. Rose tried to process everything that had just happened. "What are those things? Are they albino or something?"

"They're the Vega, from Vegos Maximus. Usually peaceful, but like all lifeforms, they do get rebellious sometimes," the Doctor said with a tweak of his bow tie.

"So they're aliens?" She asked. The Doctor nodded. Then an idea came to Rose. "No sink, right? Well, there's this swimming pool out behind this building. I could take it out the window and through it in the pool while you take care of the Vega things. That's gotta be enough water, yeah? Gimme that." She took the cube out of his hands and crossed to the window.

The cube was warm to her touch and glowed brightly. She took a deep breath as she opened the window and peered out. There was a small ledge sticking out, and hopefully she could keep her balance for a bit while she made it over towards the pool. Rose gathered her courage and said, "Got no A-levels. No job. No future. But I'll tell you what I have got, Jericho Street Junior School Under-Sevens Gymnastics team. I got the bronze."

And with that, Rose stepped out the window and onto the ledge. Hugging the wall as best she could while holding onto the cube, Rose questioned her sanity. There was no time for that, she knew. Almost losing her footing, Rose gasped and tried to move quicker. Once she was as close to the pool as she could possibly get, she chucked the cube as hard as she could. It made it into the water, only barely.

Fully submerged, the cube glowed golden and expanded. Just before it dissipated, an eerily familiar voice said, _"Rescue me, chin boy, and show me the stars."_ Rose was unable to place it, but knew she had heard that voice before. Before she had time to think it over, she was inching her way back to safety.

Rory helped Rose climb over the windowsill, and smiled at her. She returned the gesture before looking around the room to see what had happened. The Vega were on the floor, unconscious. Amy was on her phone, and the Doctor was messing with a futuristic looking device. He put it in the Vega's hands and soon after, they disappeared.

Rose gasped. The others looked at her. Amy hung up the phone and smiled at the blonde. "What just happened?"

"You just saved the planet," the Doctor said gleefully, rubbing his hands together. "Let's go back to the TARDIS and Amy can make us all a cup of tea."

"What?" the ginger exclaimed.

"River isn't here, and you're second best," Rory explained truthfully.

Amy groaned and Rose blushed, "I'll make it. I mean, if it's alright that I come."

The Doctor grinned and bounced on his toes. "We would be honored, Miss..."

"Tyler," Rose said with a smile. "Rose Tyler." Before any other questions could be asked, the four were out the door and on their way to the ground. They were silent as they walked so as not to disturb anybody else who lived in Powell Estates. As they rounded the corner, Rose gasped. Standing in the middle of the alley, just where it had stood three months before, was the blue police box.

The Doctor unlocked the door and opened it wide. Amy and Rory stepped through first and Rose wondered how they were all going to fit in there. But then she walked through the doors and into another world. How was it possible? The room was huge! Rose backed out of the box and walked around it, running her hands on the wood. It was definitely solid and definitely real. Rose walked back in and looked around in astonishment.

"Where do you want to start?" asked the Doctor, leaning up against the large console in the middle looking positively smug. Amy and Rory stood off to the side with amused faces.

"Um," Rose stammered, "it's bigger on the inside."

"Yeah."

"Is it alien?"

"Yeah."

"Are you alien?" Rose waited impatiently for the Doctor to give her his answer.

"Yeah. Is that alright?"

"Yeah." Rose looked over at Amy and Rory, who were smiling at her. The Doctor began to pull levers and press buttons on the console. "Wait, what are you doing?" Rose asked, concerned.

"There's a whole universe to see. Anywhere you want to go," the Doctor said with a smile and a tug on his bow tie.

Rose bit her lip and said, "I can't come with you. I've got my mum, and Mickey, and stuff. I've gotta stay here." She backed out of the TARDIS and onto the street. Rose gave the three travelers a small smile and a wave. "Thanks."

The TARDIS doors closed and a wheezing noise was made as the box began to dematerialize. Rose studied it in shock, wondering if she'd made the right choice. Yeah, she had her mum and Mickey, but she had always wanted to travel. This was her chance, and she blew it. She would be stuck in the Estate forever.

But then the strange noise returned, and the blue police box faded in and out of sight until it was sitting in front of her. Time dragged heavy and slow until the door opened and the Doctor stuck his head out. Amy and Rory could be seen standing behind him. "Did I mention it also travels in time?"

A smile grew on Rose Tyler's face as she ran into the TARDIS.

* * *

**Hope y'all enjoyed that. Please let me know by reviewing! I believe there is a strong correlation between number of readers and number of reviews (for some strange reason. Please don't make me resort to Jedi mind tricks.**

**Next Week: Princess of the Deep.**


	4. Princess of the Deep

**If you hadn't noticed, each chapter will be like an episode, including a few two-parters. This was really fun to write, so please enjoy and review!**

* * *

_Chapter III - Princess of the Deep_

Rose stood on the observation deck of _Poseidon XLVII_, staring out at the royal blue abyss. Glowing fish swam by, as did brightly colored ones that she could hardly even imagine eating. Of course, that _is_ what she would think of. Standing on a futuristic habitation facility with aliens all around and she thinks of food. What she wouldn't give for some chips right now.

"Why exactly are we here?" she heard Amy ask the Doctor. They had arrived a few minutes ago after the Doctor promised an interesting trip, but then he got distracted as soon as they arrived and he realized that something was wrong.

Just as mysterious as always, as Rose found out from Rory, the Doctor said, "Doesn't that water seem a little murky to you?" The conversation continued, but Rose didn't pay attention. She was too busy trying to comprehend what had just happened over the last hour and a half.

For the first nineteen years of her life, nothing happened. Nothing at all, not ever. But then she met this man called the Doctor, and he whisked her off in his box through time and space. Who knew what would happen?

"How're you doing?" asked a voice from Rose's left. Rory was really far too kind to her for someone he'd just met. But maybe that's what people are like-real people who aren't chavtastic losers from the Estate. When Rose gave no answer, Rory continued, "I'm the designated explainer, it seems. Amy said that since I'm the newest, it's my responsibility. I think it's because she's too excited to be traveling with the Doctor."

"You two are married, right?" asked Rose.

Rory twisted the wedding band on his finger. "Yeah. She's just known the Doctor since she was seven. It's kind of a long story. They're best friends-well, I suppose we all are. We've traveled with him for about six and a half years now."

"I still can't really wrap my head around it all," Rose admitted with a shy half-smile. "I don't even know what's going on really."

"Yeah, I usually don't either. Amy likes to pretend she gets it, but I just wait for instructions and then things make more sense. Like now, for example. The Doctor said to wait while he does some scans to figure out what's wrong. Next, he'll use a bunch of fancy words, run off and do something stupid and we're backup."

Rose didn't really get why this was so fascinating to her. She hardly even knew these people. In retrospect, maybe running into this adventure wasn't such a good idea.

"Atlantis II," the Doctor called out, gaining Rose and Rory's attention. They walked over to the Doctor and Amy, who was casually leaning against the TARDIS. "Six decades old-the final settlement on Earth before the planet gets destroyed."

"But we're underwater," Rose said aloud without thinking.

"Yes," the Doctor responded as he studied his screwdriver. "Ruled by Princess Leilani. Oh, it looks like there's a big party on right now. Sounds fun!"

"Let's go," Amy agreed, before Rory could argue that this was the real reason they came here. "But only if you promise not to do that awful dance you did at our wedding, Doctor."

He sighed and frowned. "You are no fun. Dancing is the best part of a party and I am brilliant at it."

"Full of yourself, much?" Rose interrupted.

"Sort of, yeah," the Doctor replied. "I can't help it that I'm so clever and handsome. Confidence is key."

Rory rolled his eyes and got them back on track. "I thought you said this was _Poseidon Forty-Seven_."

"It is," the Doctor explained. "Atlantis II is the society. Obviously the first Atlantis was destroyed a long time ago. _Poseidon _is the base, Atlantis is the nation, if you will. But that may not be the correct terminology. Alright, game plan," he said, clapping his hands together. "There's an odd virus on the computers here that's overriding the system. It's technology that is so advanced that, while it _is_ from this time, they might not even know its invaded. Fortunately, they've now got us. We're going to go to the party and mingle. Try to find out if anyone doesn't belong or something isn't right."

"Um, I'm still in my pyjamas," Rose said softly.

The Doctor sighed. "Up the stairs, turn right, take the second left, third door on your right. Be fast, please. I don't want to miss the party."

Rose ran off, leaving Amy and Rory alone with the Doctor. "Doctor," Amy began, "You don't really take on strays, do you?"

"What would you call yourselves?" asked the Doctor, only a bit miffed. "Besides, I need someone to talk to when River's in prison and you two are off on a date or something. I think the TARDIS gets tired of me beating her at checkers."

"You beat the TARDIS?" asked Rory. After the Doctor nodded, he huffed, "That's like beating the computer. It's impossible."

"Excuse me," the Doctor said, "but I'm extremely clever. I can beat the computer whenever I want."

"We'll see about that," Rory muttered under his breath.

The Doctor sighed and tugged on his bow tie. "And Rose seems nice."

"I never said she wasn't," Amy argued, "just that it seems kind of-that was fast!" Rose walked back out of the TARDIS in jeans and a gray t-shirt. Amy smiled at the blonde. "Let's go to the party!"

They walked down the halls confidently, but not so much as to draw attention to them. Even if they did get in a scrape, the Doctor's psychic paper would get them out of any situation. Well, _almost_ any situation. A large ballroom was the site of the party, with three of the walls made of glass, as well as the ceiling. Rose felt like she was drowning, and wondered if there was any chance that the glass would fail and they would all die. She never even really got to say goodbye to her mum or Mickey.

None of the guests looked human. Hadn't the Doctor said that this was a _human_ settlement? Rose looked around, shellshocked. She'd thought the Vega were odd, but at least they were somewhat humanoid compared to this lot. There were dozens of species milling about the place and none looked human. What her mum and Mickey wouldn't give to see something like this!

Rose felt an empty feeling in her stomach, and it wasn't because she was hungry. This was the future. Amy and Rory seemed so fine with it, but Rose knew that everyone she knew and loved was dead. They were all long dead.

"What's wrong?" asked the Doctor with a huge smile.

Rose couldn't keep the words from tumbling out of her mouth. "They're all dead. My mum, Mickey, all my friends...they're all dead by now. And I'm still here."

"Well, time is relative-technically-"

"They're all _dead!_"

The Doctor sympathized with her. He knew what it was like to think every last person you knew was dead, even if it wasn't quite the same thing. "Give me your mobile," he said. Rose gave him a questioning look, but passed it over when he held out his hand. The Doctor used his sonic screwdriver on it, and widened the signal. "There...can call anywhere, anywhen in the universe. All it needed was a bit of jiggery pokery."

Rose instantly brightened. "Is that a technical term, jiggery pokery?"

"Of course! Didn't you take jiggery pokery?"

"Nah, I didn't get past hullaballoo," she laughed, looking through her phone contacts, about to call her mum.

The loud music that Rose didn't recognize stopped and a voice came over the loudspeakers. "Now that you've all gotten acquainted with each other, it's time to bring in the guest of honor!" the announcer said gleefully. The Doctor glanced at the double doors and the other three followed his lead. "It is my honor to announce the last human, Lady Cassandra, and her highness, Princess Leilani!"

Applause filled the room, and while the Doctor allowed his attention to wander, Rose, Amy, and Rory watched the processional. The first in the door was a large metal frame with what looked like skin pinned to it-skin with a face. It-she?-was being wheeled through by two pale men with odd designs on their skin. They looked more human, than her. Following the skin lady was a tall woman with pale blue skin and a silver dress that matched her long, silvery hair. She looked only a little older than Rose. Amy and Rory turned to the Doctor.

"So what's the plan?" asked the ginger.

"Let's go speak with her highness. She'll know if something is wrong. She looks very technological, doesn't she?"

They made their way through the crowd as smoothly as possible. The Doctor led the way up to the princess, who was chatting amicably with the skin-Lady Cassandra, it appeared. Reaching out for her hand, the Doctor smiled and said, "It is so lovely to meet you, Princess Leilani!"

She smiled brilliantly. "And you, sir..."

"I'm the Doctor, and this is Amy, Rory, and Rose. We're visiting for the special occasion."

"Oh, how lovely," Princess Leilani said. "I do hope you are enjoying yourself."

"Immensely," the Doctor said. "Would you like to come get a piece of cake with me?" She nodded, and he offered her his arm. The Princess placed her arm through his and Amy and Rory followed suit. Amy glanced at Rose, who looked uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"Don't worry about me," she said. "I'm just gonna wait here and have a conversation with my cousin, Michael Jackson." Amy and Rory laughed and walked behind the Doctor and Princess Leilani to the refreshments table.

Rose turned to Cassandra, who was ordering her servants to, "Moisturize me, moisturize me!" Upon seeing Rose, Cassandra smiled. "I'm sorry, I don't do photographs, dearie. The flash isn't good for my skin." Her voice was so sweet it made Rose sick. There was no way Cassandra could be trusted. She was just too, well, alien.

"Oh, I just wanted to talk," Rose said quickly. "I happen to know for a fact that you aren't the last human. I'm human, and so are my friends."

Cassandra laughed. "Oh, please. You may appear human, but _I_ am the last _pure_ human. Your lot just went caboodling and _mixing_ with others." If Cassandra could have shuddered, she would have. "I am the only pure human left."

Rose rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Don't pull that 'pureblood is so much better than mudblood' crap on me. I've read _Harry Potter_. And you are definitely not human. Anything human on you was nipped and tucked and thrown in the bin. You're just skin, Cassandra. That's all you are-skin and lipstick!"

"Well, I'm sorry you feel that way," Cassandra said with a frown. "You could be beautiful, you know. All you have to do is get some of that fat and bone trimmed away. I'll give you the name of my surgeon if you'd like."

"I'd rather die."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

Rose snorted. "No, I mean I'd really rather die than be like you-a bitchy trampoline."

She began to walk away, but Cassandra stopped her. "Wait!" she cried, and as Rose turned back, she caught a glimpse of Cassandra's narrowed eyes widening to seem kind and warm. "I really do want to hear your opinion. It's too late for me, but maybe I could hear your side of the argument and warn the future generations. Let's just go somewhere more comfortable."

Rose was wary of Cassandra, but figured that something _was_ wrong here, and maybe Cassandra was the problem. She followed the flap of skin and her attendants out of the ballroom and down the hall into a formal sitting room. Rose sat on a lavish sofa and waited for the attendants to leave the room before she began her questioning. But they didn't leave. The two men grabbed Rose and held her down on her seat.

"What's going on?" she gasped, struggling against their grip.

Cassandra smiled. "I'm tired of this skin. And it'll only be temporary, dear. You'll only be gone until I find someone better, like that pretty redhead you were with earlier!" She took a deep breath and a pink gas filled the air, then Rose was gone.

She sat up, and pressed a hand to her forehead. Cassandra gasped, and wiggled her fingers. "It worked! I have a body now!" She rose to her feet and started walking around. "I don't need to be moisturized anymore, and-ooh! It's like living inside a bouncy castle! A bit loose, if you know what I mean. Now, where's a mirror, I want to see-" She rushed over to a full-body mirror standing in the corner. "Oh my God! I'm a _chav_! Don't worry, it'll only be until I find someone better. Well, it's not all bad. Nice rear bumper..."

"Are you ready, milady?" asked one of the attendants.

"Oh, yes," Cassandra said and a smile lit up Rose's features. She walked toward the door and down the hall until she reached the ballroom. "Now where are they...oh!" Cassandra approached the Doctor, Amy, and Rory. "'Ello, guv'nuh."

They all stared at her in disbelief for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Come on," the Doctor said, "we told Princess Leilani we would join her on the Royal Deck to talk about the, uh, problems." She smiled and nodded, following silently after the three who knew what they were doing.

Cassandra decided that enough of this poor girl's thoughts were on how weirdly attractive this Doctor fellow was, and maybe she would get him interested in her as payment for stealing her body. At least it would be fun, like a game. Even if she was totally hideous. Cassandra always did like kissing people. It was fun, especially when it led to-

"Second," the Doctor said as they walked, "it's entirely possible that this is an elaborate way of killing millions of sea creatures. Didn't you see how murky the water was?"

"It looked normal to me," Cassandra-Rose said. "I mean, I don't understand why one would want all of these gross fishies swimming around the base anyway. It's quite disgusting if you ask me."

Amy and Rory looked confusedly at her. "I thought you thought they were pretty," Rory said.

"Oh, well, people change their minds, don't they?"

"Um, what's with the voice?" asked the Doctor. "Are you feeling alright? Do you need to go back to the TARDIS and lie down? Is it culture shock? Bananas will help-"

"I'm perfectly fine," Cassandra-Rose said slowly with a smile and raised eyebrows. She tossed her blonde hair over her shoulder and batted her eyelashes at him. Stupid man wouldn't even realize she was fishing for this little-

"Bit rich, isn't this place?" asked Rory.

"Yeah," Amy agreed. "though not nearly as nice as Starship UK." They paused, and then burst into laughter. While Rory had not been present for that trip, they'd relayed the details to him, and that was the closest thing to this place as they'd ever been to, except some of the intergalactic museums they'd been to so that the Doctor could keep score.

The Doctor ignored them and kept his attention on Rose, who clearly wasn't well. "So are you enjoying yourself?" he asked, trying to keep his tone even and normal.

"Of course! Never been better. Just larking about this place..."

Narrowing his eyes, the Doctor stopped walking and turned to face her. "Are you sure you don't want to go back to the TARDIS?"

"Are you serious? I can't Adam-and-Eve it. This place is just, so..."

He smiled. "I guess I understand. New places are always exciting." Cassandra-Rose smiled and placed one hand on his chest, while the other fingered his bow tie. The Doctor grew uncomfortable, as he always did when people invaded his personal space, even River. Hugs were fine, but this was a bit excessive. "Um, what about Mickey?"

"Damn him," she responded coyly before rising to her tiptoes and pressing her lips to his. The Doctor's arms flailed about as she ran her fingers violently through his hair, grinding her body against his.

"Oi!" Amy shouted as Rory covered his eyes. "He's _married_!"

Cassandra-Rose backed off, breathless. Her chest heaved a bit over-exaggeratedly as she mumbled, "I'll just-just go see the princess." She walked away, trying to catch her breath from what was quite possibly the best snog she'd had in long time.

The Doctor watched her go, having forgotten that Amy and Rory-his wife's _parents_-were still standing there. He smirked as he straightened his bow tie. "Yup. Still got it." He started to swagger off after Rose, but was stopped by Amy.

She cleared her throat meaningfully as she squeezed his arm. "I think you owe someone an apology."

The Doctor instantly got on the defensive. "She was the one who kissed me! I had nothing to do with it! _I'm_ the _victim_!"

"Just don't forget who you're dealing with," Amy said with narrowed eyes. She turned and followed after Rose. Behind her back, Rory held out his fist and the Doctor bumped it with his own. "I saw that!" They grimaced, and sheepishly slumped behind Amy.

When they walked into the Royal Deck, they were shocked to see Rose holding Princess Leilani at gunpoint. "You will abdicate, and allow me to be Queen of Atlantis, or I'll continue dumping grease and oil and other nasty things into the ocean. Try me, your highness, I promise I'll go through with it."

"Rose!" Rory shouted, aghast that their new companion would threaten to do such a terrible thing.

"That isn't Rose," the Doctor said calmly. "She's been possessed. By Cassandra, I gather."

Cassandra-Rose laughed and smiled at the Doctor. "You think you're so clever."

"I am so clever."

"If you're so clever, what the hell is that bloody awful thing around your neck?"

Offended as he always was when someone made a derogatory statement about the piece de resistance of his wardrobe choice, the Doctor scoffed. "It's a bow tie. Bow ties are cool."

"Maybe in the nineteenth century," Cassandra said, cocking the revolver in her hand. "If you'll excuse me, we've some unfinished business to attend to. Now, your majesty, I'm growing impatient. And I don't want to seem rude, but, well, when I grow impatient, I tend to make rash decisions. So please hurry."

"Leave her, Cassandra," the Doctor ordered.

"Or what?" she sneered. "You'll call the police?"

"Or I'll stop you."

She sneered, "Is that meant to sound intimidating?" He looked to Amy and Rory for reassurance, for once questioning his ferocity. They appeared as they always did when he threatened someone, so he assumed that he still was the Oncoming Storm, as goofy as he looked and insulted as he was. "Don't worry, sweetie," Cassandra-Rose crooned with a sick smile, "you won't have to kill anybody."

"Leave her body, Cassandra," the Doctor said, a storm brewing in his eyes. It wouldn't take long before the fury of a Time Lord became physically apparent. He may not know Rose Tyler very well, but she was kind to him, and kindness was not something that the Doctor let go easily. "I don't want Rose Tyler hurt, and you aren't standing in a safe place right now."

"Well, where am I supposed to go?" she screeched hysterically. Amy grasped Rory's hand tightly. Cassandra-Rose smiled. "Never mind." A pink cloud left Rose and disappeared as Rose crumpled. The Doctor had to leap forward quickly to catch her in his arms. She looked up gratefully at him and met his smile. "Thanks," Rose mumbled as she picked herself up.

"What the hell?" asked Rory. He ran his hands down his chest and gasped. "Ugh! I'm a _man_! I was aiming for _her_!" Cassandra-Rory pointed at Amy.

The ginger smacked Rory's face, having convinced herself that he wasn't Rory. "Oi! That's my husband. I won't _let_ you take him!"

"Your choice," Cassandra-Rory sighed, and Rory stumbled as the pink cloud left him.

"This is so much better!" Cassandra-Amy smiled, and shook out her hair. She inched her already short skirt up a bit higher and grinned at the sight of her long legs. "This is exactly what I was hoping for!"

"Okay, what happened?" asked Rory, staring at his possessed wife, trying to piece it all together.

"Go back to your own skin, Cassandra!" Rose shouted, noticing that Leilani was speaking with her guards. Hopefully they would be able to do something helpful in this strange situation. She had not woken up this morning (yesterday, since she hadn't really gone to sleep for long?) without even a hallucination that something like this could possibly happen.

"I can't," Cassandra-Amy said crossly, folding her arms across her chest. "The skin dried out as soon as I left it. There was no one left to moisturize me-I hadn't thought about it."

"You need to leave Amy right this minute," the Doctor commanded, taking large strides to reach his friend. He placed his fingers on her temples and thrust his mind into hers.

"I have nowhere to go!" she gasped, her tone painful and sad.

"That's not my problem." The Doctor knew he would regret this, but he had no choice. "You can't prolong your life any longer, Cassandra. Everybody knows that everything dies. You have your time. I see your timeline ending. It's the burden of a Time Lord, to know, and I know that it's time you died. Let Amelia live. You've had your life."

"But I'm so _young_!" Cassandra whined, tears leaking from Amy's eyes.

"So is she," the Doctor said calmly. "It's time, Cassandra. Let go."

Rory and Rose stood to the side, watching wordlessly. Neither could believe that the Doctor was convincing this woman to give up on her life. He seemed so optimistic and self-sacrificing that they hadn't considered him really being a killer. They weren't sure they could ever look at him the same again.

"Doctor," Rose stepped out, "please, give her another chance."

He said nothing in response, only, "Cassandra."

The Doctor caught Amy in his arms as a pink gas filled the air and dissipated into nothing. Cassandra was gone.

* * *

On the TARDIS, things grew silent. Nothing could be said. Amy and Rory were off to their bedroom, exhausted from the day-saving and subsequent party held in their honor. Rose was sitting in her room, poking around what the TARDIS had to offer. As for the Doctor, he sat in the swing underneath the console, making adjustments to his ship's operational systems.

Lost in his own thoughts that ran faster than he could process, the Doctor didn't hear the light footsteps above his head until she came into his view down the stairs. He lifted the large steampunk-esque goggles onto the top of his head and smiled. "Hello, Rose Tyler."

She gave a soft smile in return and tucked her blonde hair behind her ear. "Hello, Doctor."

"Did you have a good time today?"

Rose took in a deep breath, having expected this. She could only give a true answer, even if it wasn't what she wanted to say or what he wanted to hear. Neither deserved a lie, as easy as it would be to say. But how could she say what she needed to? "Is it always that dangerous?"

The Doctor laughed. "If you thought that was dangerous, just wait until we meet some Judoon or an Abzorbaloff!"

Rose didn't laugh in return, but only said, "Cassandra didn't have to die."

A pause. "Everything dies."

"You killed her. You made her kill herself," Rose corrected. The Doctor said nothing. "She could've had a second chance. You hardly knew her. You killed her."

After an eternity of thick silence, the Doctor looked up at Rose and said, "I can't tell you the number of people I have killed. There is more blood on my hands than there is in the entire universe. Don't you dare think I don't regret it. I'm the last of the Time Lords. I killed my entire race, and the entirety of the Dalek race, and so many others that I've lost count. People have died in my name, because of me, and by my hand. If it bothers you, leave."

Rose didn't back down. "That's what I came to say. I hardly know you, and I have a life back home. I didn't think before running away, and I've no idea what I've gotten myself into. I came down here because I'm asking to go home."

Making no verbal response, the Doctor stood and walked up to the console, and began to pull levers and push buttons that made loud noises and shook the console. Rose held on for dear life as she was tossed and thrown about as the Doctor piloted the TARDIS. She wondered if he was being purposely rough because he was cross with her.

Once everything became still, Rose walked to the doors and pulled one open. There was the Estate, just as it always was. The sun was rising, presumably the morning after she had left. A gentle wind blew the swings at the park and ruffled Rose's hair as she stepped out. She looked around.

How could she ever go back to her normal life after something like that? She'd been to the future, where man- and alien-kind lived underwater and humans had plastic surgery to practically get rid of their body. Normal life would never be the same. Rose turned to the Doctor, who'd followed her out of the TARDIS.

"I'm sorry, Doctor," she said softy.

He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I understand."

Rose bit her lip. "And I'm sorry for whatever I said while I wasn't, um, myself."

The Doctor smile grew a little bit and it seemed more genuine. He didn't appear as old, which was odd since he physically looked like he was twenty-something. "I don't blame you a bit. You were just possessed."

"Funny thing is, I don't remember any of it. It's all blank between being in that room with Cassandra and waking up in, uh, in your arms." Rose blushed a bit at the phrase and thought of Mickey.

The Doctor blushed, too, but not for the same reasons as Rose. To think of what River would say when she found out about all of this-about that _kiss_-was terrifying. "Well, I assure you, it wasn't anything traumatizing."

She laughed and looked back at the Estate. "I don't know how I'm gonna go back to normal life after all this. Bet my room's still a mess."

He didn't know why he said it, but the Doctor offered, "You could stay here for a bit longer. Your room here's clean and we can go anywhere you like. What do you say? One more trip?"

Rose smiled at the Doctor and looked once more at Powell Estate. She met the Doctor's eyes and said, "Well, it is a time machine. I guess I could always come back to just after I left and nothing will have changed..." The Doctor smiled as she trailed off, and stepped aside for her to pass by him into the TARDIS. Just then her mobile rang. She furrowed her brow as she didn't recognize the number. "Hello?" Rose asked, and the Doctor walked into the TARDIS and prepared to throw them back into the Vortex. "Who is this?" Rose asked, looking around the Estate for someone playing a prank on her.

_"Silence will fall."_

The line went dead.

Rose put away her phone and walked into the TARDIS, closing the door behind her. "Wrong number," she explained briefly.

The Doctor nodded in understanding. He pulled a lever as Rose got a secure grip and smiled with her tongue caught beneath her teeth. "So, Rose Tyler, where do you want to go? As a new-companion, Doctor trip. Amy and Rory won't mind."

Rose smiled. She had just the place in mind.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed that as much as I did. I couldn't resist a few nods to other episodes other then the few with Cassandra. Please review and let me know what you think! Your thoughts mean the world to me, and I would love to hear from you. **

**Next week: The Strange Death of Mr. Pamuk**


	5. The Strange Death of Mr Pamuk

**Not entirely a crossover, but definitely not my own creation. You may have guessed it from the chapter title: a visit to Downton Abbey. Don't worry, you don't need to know anything about the show.**

**And a note since people have asked: This is going to be Doctor/River and Doctor/Rose. Not quite sure how much of each yet because my outline has shifted and the video this is based on could go either way. And it's very AU, obviously.**

**Enjoy!**

******UPDATE: Fixed a continuity error I noticed while revising.**

* * *

_Chapter IV - The Strange Death of Mr. Pamuk_

Amy and Rory were dropped off on Space Florida for a week of sun and sand. Of course, even if the Doctor and Rose's trip did not take a week, they would collect the Ponds in a week of their time, if the Doctor didn't screw up his driving. Time was confusing that way. As soon as the Doctor closed the TARDIS doors behind him with a snap of his fingers, he bounded up to the console and began pulling levers and mashing down buttons. Rose grinned as she held on for dear life.

They were jerked about, and the Doctor shouted, "Alright Rose Tyler, where to?"

"Somewhere glamorous around 1912!" Her tone gleeful, Rose knew that she had always admired the lifestyle of the wealthy dynasties in the early twentieth century. It seemed so much better than the poor life she'd grown up in as the daughter of a lower class worker.

"I know where!" the Doctor shouted and yanked down on another lever. "Pull the wibbly lever!"

Rose looked around the console in front of her. "Which one's that?"

"The crooked one, but not the crooked lever!"

Taking her best guess, Rose chose between two identical objects and assumed she got it right. Something gave her the idea that it wouldn't really make a difference and the Doctor was just trying to include her. This was so different from driving a car. She felt a definite landing as they hit the ground.

Rose chewed on her lower lip, using her eyes to seek permission to go bounding outside. When the Doctor gestured towards the doors with a "Go on!", she full on smiled and approached the doors. She pulled one open and stepped into the sunshine. There were no clouds in the sky, and a gentle breeze lifted her hair. Just as warm as an autumn's day back home (_in the future_, she reminded herself), the atmosphere suddenly changed and Rose felt a chill run through her, like she had experienced deja vu.

Just when she was about to walk off toward the magnificent house across the lawn, the Doctor called her back inside the TARDIS. "You can't just walk around like that, can you?" he asked mostly in jest. "You're practically naked, and these sorts of families don't appreciate that."

Rose loved dress up, making this like an exciting game to her. Once she was pointed in the direction of the wardrobe, she took off, ready to dress for the occasion. It only took a few minutes to choose a dress, as the TARDIS suggested clothing options for the time and location, and only a bit more to sweep her hair into a low bun. The overall effect was nice, if she did say so herself.

"Did you even change at all?" Rose asked the Doctor as she walked down the stairs into the console room.

Put off, the Doctor responded, "I changed into a nicer bow tie. This one's cool."

"I thought they were all cool."

"They are."

A moment of fake seriousness passed before they both burst into laughter and walked out the door. When they walked out, the sun had been covered by grey clouds. "Looks we were in the TARDIS for a bit longer than we'd thought," Rose speculated as she gazed up at the overcast sky. Typical. Dogs barking and shouts could be heard in the distance, directing their attention away from the big house.

"They've been hunting," the Doctor said. Rose gave him a look of disbelief, and he felt compelled to explain, "I speak dog."

Her lips rose to a grin. "Yeah, right."

"I speak everything."

Still skeptical, Rose rolled her eyes and dropped the conversation. Obviously, there was more to this man than met the eye, and if she had anything to say about it-well, she didn't have enough information to form a proper hypotenuse, if that even was the right word. She always was rubbish at science. Being around the Doctor made Rose Tyler want to seem smarter than she actually was.

"Well," the Doctor said with a tug on his bow tie, "let's go see what the fuss is all about." With a confident swagger, the Doctor led the way towards the big house. Cars were lined in the drive, with the chauffeurs standing about, talking as some of the noblemen and women were greeted by butlers and footmen. The Doctor offered his arm to Rose, and she took it with a gracious smile. This was the most amazing thing she had ever seen.

To think that this was the past, that this had happened, and was happening right this moment was extraordinary to Rose Tyler. They stepped up to the front door, where the butler stopped them. "Invitation?" he asked, his voice deep and fatherly. The Doctor reached inside his jacket and pulled out his psychic paper. The butler took one look and his eyes widened in recognition. "Right this way, sir. We've been expecting you."

Rose and the Doctor exchanged a confused glance but shrugged. Maybe this was something planned in the future that they would need to follow up with later. They followed the butler through the elaborate halls toward the music and speaking. Once at the doorway, a footman announced, "Sir Doctor of TARDIS and Dame Rose of Powell Estate."

They walked further into the room, admiring the people and their luxurious lifestyle. A blonde woman approached and the Doctor stopped. "Ah."

"Hello, sweetie," the woman said with a smile. To Rose, she said, "It's nice to finally meet you, Rose Tyler."

Taken aback by the woman's knowledge of her name, Rose forgot that it had just been announced. It seemed like this woman already knew Rose, but how was that possible? Rose had never seen this woman before. Looking up at the two, Rose saw that they appeared to be having a silent conversation. It seemed impossible, but Rose realized that maybe the Doctor could read minds. He wasn't human, after all.

Then she was remembered, and the woman suddenly looked straight at Rose, who was beginning to feel very tiny. It was very obvious that these two had a significant past, and were both so much more worldly than Rose Tyler. "I'm River Song," the woman said with a warm smile.

Suddenly, Rose felt as if she were invading a private moment. The Doctor clearly didn't expect to see River Song here, and there was something heavy between them. The way that River looked at the Doctor made Rose strangely jealous of a woman who she'd only just met. And it didn't even make sense because Rose had just met the Doctor, as well.

Needing an escape, Rose said, "I'm just going to look around some."

Neither Doctor nor River, said anything specific, only uttered some sort of noncommittal noise as Rose walked off. When she was gone, River smiled. "So where are we?" She pulled out that infamous TARDIS blue journal of hers and began flipping through the pages.

The Doctor wracked his timey wimey mind. "Crash of the _Byzantium_ was four years ago, the Pandorica four months after that, then you summoned me to Andromeda only to try and kill me. Oh, and we got married. And you?" he asked, taking one of her hands in his and gently rubbing his thumb across the back.

River held the journal carefully with her free hand, snapping it shut so he couldn't peek at the pages-at his future. "Further than you. Where are my parents?"

"On vacation at Space Florida," the Doctor said with a sigh. "They'd been begging to go there for weeks."

River looked over her shoulder to see Rose standing awkwardly on the edge of the room. "You've missed dinner. How long has she been with you?"

"Nearly two days. I don't know much about her yet. I suppose you know why I brought her along."

"Of course, sweetie."

"And obviously you know her. I just hope I don't ruin her."

River took the Doctor's hand in both of hers, having placed the journal back in her handbag. "Oh, my love, don't say that. You've never ruined anyone. I'm glad to hear that Amy and Rory are adapting well to being married on the TARDIS. Everyone knows that is no easy feat."

The Doctor was immediately frustrated by River's foreknowledge of his-and their-future with no chance of telling him anything. "And how would you know that?"

"Spoilers," she said coquettishly. It made him want to rip his hair out.

The Doctor looked over and saw Rose Tyler being approached by a young man in a bow tie-they were so cool. He looked back at River and asked, "Is she happy?"

Part of the Doctor hoped that her expression would waver and she would accidentally reveal something of herself to him, but River did not budge. Her simple smile remained exactly the same as she said, "Yes, I suppose so."

Her answer made the Doctor wonder if Rose was still traveling with him in linear time. He could never ask; she would never answer. Deciding to change the conversation, the Doctor took a sip of the drink he just picked up from a footman, only to gag and spit it back in the cup. "So where are you in your magical little journal of secrets?"

River smiled. "I already told you enough spoilers for one night. And you've already asked."

"It was worth trying," he said with a sigh. Perhaps it was time for him to reclaim Rose Tyler. After all, it was supposed to be just the two of them. Not that he was complaining about River showing up. He was quite fond of her, even if he hardly knew her but knew when and how she would die. It still made him sick to think about. Her death was a fixed point, it seemed, but he would do all he could to prevent her from ever going to the Library.

When Rose happened to look over, he beckoned for her. She walked over and gave the two a smile. "So are we just here for the party?"

"Actually," River said before the Doctor could give an answer, "I was doing some research on this property-I'm an archaeologist, you see-because it's in ruins in my time and I was curious. Something strange happened here, and no one seems to remember how it happened. It ultimately affected the house itself because of the reputation the event spurred, leading to its eventual abandonment and destruction."

"What happened?" Rose asked, a shiver running up her spine to the base of her neck. She glanced over to the side of the room, and then had the sort of sensation that deja vu gives. Rose shook her head slightly to eliminate the feeling, and looked around the room once more. What had caused the chill? Her mum would've said that a rabbit hopped over her grave, but Rose wasn't superstitious. Maybe she should be, now that she was a time and space traveller.

If the Doctor or River noticed that Rose seemed slightly distracted, they didn't show it. "A Mr. Kemal Pamuk died in bed with one of the Earl's daughters. He was perfectly healthy, and he wasn't murdered. He simply stopped living. Apparently it happened after this party."

The Doctor grinned, and Rose wondered if she should be worried about his sanity. Who got excited about something like this? Rubbing his hands together, the Doctor said, "Sounds like a mystery that we should have a crack at!" He looked around the room, scoping for a family member to interrogate.

Rose joined the search. Then she noticed a _very_ handsome man lead a young woman off into a side room. He didn't look English, and she looked very much like the Earl and Countess who were speaking with guests a few meters away. "What about them?" Rose said, pointing at the couple just before they disappeared through a doorway.

"Very nice, Rose Tyler," the Doctor said, and Rose grinned. "What do you suggest we do?"

Way to throw her under the bus. Rose had not expected to be put in charge, even if hypothetically. She fidgeted with her long skirt and bit her lower lip, trying to think. "Um, run some scans for alien tech?"

The Doctor sighed. "Come on, big picture!"

River rolled her eyes and began typing furiously on what looked like a large mobile phone or mini computer. Maybe it was both. "I think Rose is right, sweetie. Scanning for alien tech is a very mature thing to do."

"Are you calling me immature?"

"Of course not." But when Rose met River's eyes, the older woman winked. Still typing, River smirked as she heard the Doctor huff. "Why must you be so obstinate all of the time?"

"I'm not obstinate!" the Doctor argued. "I'm simply set in my ways."

Once again, River rolled her eyes. "I don't think you understand what 'obstinate' means, darling." Her device started beeping, and she flipped a notch on the side to turn the sound off. No need to alarm the other people in the room who had never seen such advanced technology. Hell, Rose hadn't even seen such advanced technology, other than the TARDIS. "I'm not picking up anything unusual. Maybe some high energy readings, but nothing abnormal."

Rose gasped sharply, and River and the Doctor immediately directed their attention at her. She was looking through the doorway into the hall with a terrified expression. "Do you see that?" she asked, pointing her finger.

"See what?" asked the Doctor, leaning to get a better look.

Rose looked at him, and her expression went blank. She blinked several times. "Huh?"

"What did you see?"

"When?"

"Just now."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Never mind." The Doctor turned back to River, wondering if he'd brought along a lunatic. And he would have to tell River about their kiss at some point. Would his wife mind? She always seemed very open with him doing whatever he wanted. How would he even know what she did at Stormcage? Yes, the Doctor trusted River Song-he owed her that from the Library-but he wasn't sure if he loved her. Well, he loved her as he loved all of his friends, but he didn't know if he truly loved her, or if he felt obligated to marry her because of how he always knew she was his wife. Damn the time lines. He wanted answers.

"So what's the plan?" asked Rose, bouncing on her toes and look anxious. Her eyes flicked back and forth between the Doctor and River, wondering what history there was between them. She would have to ask either River or one of the Ponds later. They all seemed more open to her than the Doctor.

A footman approached the trio with an envelope on a silver tray. He nodded his head when he looked at the Doctor. "Excuse me, sir, but a telegram just arrived for you."

"Thank you," the Doctor said as he lifted the telegram from the platter and ran his finger under the flap to break the seal. He pulled out the paper and read the message: "'Silence will fall.' What does that mean?"

River looked over his shoulder. "Who's it from?"

"No name," said the Doctor, flipping it over to see the back, only to see blankness.

Rose's forehead creased. "Hey, I got a message like that last night." Two sets of curious eyes met hers. "I thought it was a wrong number on my mobile, but it was just a creepy voice that said the same thing. Do you think it's related?"

"Never ignore a coincidence," the Doctor said wisely, "unless you're busy. Then you should always ignore a coincidence. However, since they were able to reach your phone and send a telegram to us here, I would say this is not a coincidence. But what does it mean?"

"I'm working on it," River said, typing furiously at her tiny device. Skimming the dozens of results that kept scrolling by, she knew that this was more complex. "I've no idea what it means. None of this makes any sense."

The Doctor sighed. "Are you on Google?"

River glared at her husband. "No. The only thing that could possibly relate is a brief mention of the Silence: a religious order. But that's all there is on the subject and it's on a hardly reputable encyclopedia from the fifty-second century."

They decided to stick around until the party was over, and then they would investigate the house for why the dynasty would collapse and Pamuk would perish.

* * *

Rose stared out the window at the blackness of night. She knew that the TARDIS was out there somewhere, resting safely away from this house where tragedy was about to strike. Her insides were split between running and trying to save Mr. Pamuk. How could she know that someone was going to die and not try to save them? It seemed unfair to him. Nervous about what was going to happen, Rose tried not to think of her safe life at home.

If this life was always dangerous, how could she bear all of the running? Then again, how could she survive doing nothing but being nothing back home. Maybe her mum would know what to do. But there was no way Rose could say anything to her mum because Jackie Tyler wouldn't be born for another fifty years or so.

"Penny for your thoughts?" asked River, suddenly at Rose's side.

Feeling she could trust this older woman, Rose looked up. "I was just thinking about how my mum would know what to do, but she hasn't been born yet. You don't realize how far away you are until you realize you can't talk to anyone you know."

"Well, you know us," River said before holding her hand out. "Give me your phone." Rose passed her mobile over, feeling one of the rhinestones she'd stuck on fall off on her finger. "Doctor, I need the sonic!"

The Time Lord looked up from his book and raised an eyebrow. He reached inside his pocket and tossed it across the room, into River's open hand.

River caught the screwdriver easily and grinned. "I'm surprised that worked. You've never let me hold the sonic before. Clearly something's happened to you that will cause you to let me hold your precious screwdriver."

It was then that the Doctor realized that River was not as far along as he'd expected. While she was further than him, she was still in her early days and didn't really know him as well as she thought she did. Or maybe he shouldn't allow her to touch his sonic screwdriver anymore. At least, not until the Library. He didn't want to think about that; it made him sick to his stomach.

River looked to Rose's phone and switched on the sonic screwdriver so that it buzzed. After a few seconds, she handed it back to Rose and said, "There. It'll reach anywhere in the universe at any time. You can talk to your mum whenever you want. I know how important that relationship is." Something about her tone made Rose sad.

"Thanks," Rose said, and began scrolling through her contacts as River went to return the sonic to its rightful owner. Selecting her mum's name, Rose held the phone up to her ear as it began to ring.

_"Hello?"_

"Mum?" Rose straightened up like if her mother had just walked into the room. "It's me. It's Rose!"

_"I know that, sweetheart. Have you 'ad too much to drink again?"_

Rose laughed and, for an unknown reason, tears came to her eyes. She never thought she would miss her mum so much. "No, it's just...I might not be home for a bit. I got up early and went to Shireen's, and then I'll probably go see Mickey. It might be a bit."

_"Rose, sweetheart, I was going to get takeout for dinner. We've had these plans for days."_

A tear slipped down her cheek and Rose quickly brushed it away, ashamed that someone might see. "Okay, Mum, I'll be there. I should probably go now, but I'll call you later, yeah? I love you, mum."

_"Are you sure you're alrigh', Rose? You never talk like that."_

"I'm fine, Mum, really. I'm jus' glad to hear your voice."

_"Alright. I love you, too, then. See you later on."_ Jackie Tyler hung up the phone, and Rose smiled as she slid her phone back in her pocket. Of course her mother would think she was drunk. Apparently Rose did some stupid things when she was inebriated-not that she would remember too much of it anyway. To be fair, hanging out with drunk Jackie was like hanging out with eighteen year old Jackie. That was a mad experience.

Rose grinned as she walked over to the Doctor and flounced down onto the sofa across from him. The library of this estate was massive, and elaborate. The furniture was obviously expensive and very posh. She would never fit in with a family or life like this. As much as she dreamed of being a princess when she was a kid, Rose knew that she could never really be anything other than Estate girl.

"Where's River?" she asked, having realized that the older woman was missing.

The Doctor looked up from his book. "Going to see if Pamuk has gone to Mary's room yet. He dies in her bed."

Rose wanted to ask if they could save him, but knew he wold just get angry and send her home, like last time. She didn't want that. There was no turning back from this lifestyle. Instead, she chose to ask him, "Are you and River Song...together?"

That was not the question the Doctor expected. When Amy had once asked the same question, the Doctor didn't really know how to answer. However, he had actually married River, under circumstances that were completely unexpected. Looking at Rose, the Doctor realized that she was waiting for a response. "We're married."

Shock registered on Rose's face. They were _married_? In a relationship, was the answer she'd expected, but this was entirely different. She couldn't explain why it upset her. Yeah, she was probably growing a bit of a crush on the Doctor, but who wouldn't when he could show her all of time and space? Not to mention Mickey-her _boyfriend_.

She opened her mouth to say something, but River popped her torso through the doorway and hissed, "It's time."

They sprung into action, running out the door and up the stairs to Lady Mary's room. River stopped them before they opened the door, with a pointed look at the Doctor. As usual, he was oblivious. "This is the whole reason we're here, River!" he whispered urgently.

She frowned, and said, "Yes, but we can't barge in on them. They're...well..." She tried to make some sort of gesture with her hands but it was vague and offered no light on what she was trying to say. Rose understood easily, having been in this sort of situation before on both sides of the wall.

River sighed and Rose tried to help out. "They're, um, _busy_."

Then it hit the Doctor like a brick wall, and his eyes widened in embarrassment. "Oh!" He flushed, and nervously ran a hand through his hair. "They're-well, you know-"

"Yes," River breathed, glad he finally understood. Rose suddenly felt very uncomfortable standing in a hallway with a married couple outside a room where two people were having sex. She felt like that spare tire on the back of a lorry. "Now you understand why we can't just barge in there."

The Doctor pressed his ear up to the door, but then River smacked his arm with a ferocity that made Rose blush. "We have to know when it's safe to go in!"

River rolled her eyes and pulled him away from the door. "Trust me. We'll know. How would you feel if Amy and Rory were outside our door on one of my nights out?"

Horror crossed the Doctor's face and he backed away as far as he could. "Point taken." Not too much time past before noises could be heard and it was very obvious that now was most likely the time to go in. But before they could group themselves together and come up with a plan, a scream pierced through the door. "That didn't sound like a scream of pleasure!"

River squeezed her eyes shut and Rose looked down at her feet. This man had no social graces. River gestured to the door, and the Doctor sonic'd it open. They pushed into the room and saw a tall alien looming over the bed where the couple was inched against the headboard with the blankets pulled up to their chins.

None of them had ever seen this creature before. It was tall with a grotesquely white face, wearing a black suit, and had strong resemblance to Edvard Munch's painting, _The Scream_. He reached out his long, thin arms towards the intruders and the Doctor held up his sonic screwdriver. Just as fast, River pulled out a small pistol and aimed it at the monster.

Blue electricity crackled at the alien's fingertips as he turned his attention back to the couple in the bed. He reached for the man-Kemal Pamuk-and lightning struck. Mary cried out again, and drew her hands up to her mouth as best she could while keeping the covers in place.

Rose wondered why the woman was screaming, and then looked back and saw the tall alien. She realized it was the same figure she'd seen earlier in the day, but then forgot about it. "Don't look away," she pressed. "You'll forget about it."

But then Mary gasped again, realizing that her lover was lifeless. The three looked to her, fearing the worst, only to forget the entire encounter. They were alone. "We need to leave," the Doctor said quickly, and they rushed out of the room, and out of the house.

As they ran back to the TARDIS, Rose asked, "What just happened?"

"I don't know," the Doctor said, "but I had the sonic screwdriver recording what happened the entire time so we can figure out what did. It'll take me a little while to get the readings, but we need to leave anyway."

"What's going to happen to Mary?"

River answered Rose while the Doctor was unlocking the TARDIS doors, "She won't remember a thing like us. Kemal Pamuk died in his sleep with a woman who was not his wife. The scandal will be suppressed for several years, and the house will fall into disrepair when the news is uncovered."

The Doctor immediately went to work trying to figure out what just happened. The screwdriver would have to remain plugged in for a while, so the research might take a while. "Let's go get Amy and Rory," he said, setting the coordinates.

River disagreed. "Take me back to Stormcage. There's some business I need to take care of."

Something in her expression made the Doctor give his assent, and reset the coordinates. Rose held on as tightly as possible and River, noticing Rose's anxiety, pressed a button and keyed in a code.

"What did you do?" demanded the Doctor, peering around from the other side of the console.

River shrugged innocently. "Nothing."

"She's not moving!"

"Of course she is."

"But this isn't fun."

"Whatever you say, darling," River said, walking to the doors and flinging them open. "Oh, look. I'm home."

Rose looked between the husband and wife. "How did you do that?" she asked River.

"I learned from the best," she smirked. With a look at the Doctor, she added, "Shame you were busy that day." Rose tried to keep from grinning, but failed miserably. "Come now, husband, walk me to my room."

"Where do you live?" Rose asked before they left the TARDIS.

River looked to the Doctor's newest companion and gave her a sad smile. "Stormcage Containment Facility. It's a prison." Before Rose could ask what crime River committed, she said, "I killed a man. And no, I won't tell you who. I won't even tell him." She grabbed the Doctor's hand and began pulling him out the door. "Goodnight, Rose."

The Doctor allowed himself to be led into River's cell, and cheekily grinned. "If you wanted me to spend the night, we probably shouldn't do it here."

"Shut up," River said, and stood taller to press her lips to his. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close. River immediately took charge and backed him up against the cold metal bars of her cell. Her hands held his face carefully as they kissed, but then she pulled away. "You need to go get to know your newest companion. Send my love to my parents."

"River," the Doctor groaned, moving to kiss his wife again. She wouldn't let him, and pushed him back, closing the cell door between them. "They won't know you're gone," he complained.

She smiled. "I'm flattered, but they will. You have about thirty seconds to get away before the come and arrest you for helping me escape. The Church is hardly forgiving, you know."

The Doctor smiled. "Goodnight, River."

"Goodnight, my love."

River Song watched as her husband and dearest friend walked back into his TARDIS. She sat down on her bunk and watched as the blue police box dematerialized with that obnoxious sound. It made her sad to see him go. She loved him so much, it made her heart hurt because one day he would find out the truth, and he would hate her for it.

She dreaded the day when they would finally meet.

* * *

******Next week: Journey to the Center of the TARDIS**


	6. Journey to the Center of the TARDIS

**Sorry for the wait! Thanks for the reviews, follows, favs, etc. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but I hit a rut and needed to get through this. If it doesn't make sense now, it will later. And I'm excited about the villain in the next chapter... :)**

**Loved Saturday's episode, eagerly awaiting next Saturday. Enjoy, and please review!**

* * *

_Chapter V - Journey to the Center of the TARDIS_

Rose opened her eyes and gingerly pressed a hand to her forehead, moaning. What had happened? She tried to piece everything together, but she couldn't remember anything from before going unconscious. She must have hit her head really hard, but on what? And where was she?

Taking the time to survey her surroundings, Rose realized she was on a part of the TARDIS she'd never been on before. It was a hallway, but it seemed different, darker, grittier. Beneath the shadows, the walls and floor may look the same as in every other part of the TARDIS, but this version was frightening. She knew that the TARDIS seemed infinite; she'd never found a dead end corridor. Being sentient, the ship knew to place rooms within a certain proximity, but she often moved them around for convenience (or when she was feeling feisty).

Then she realized that she was alone.

"Doctor?" Rose cried out, thinking that if someone knew what was going on, it would be the Time Lord. Hearing her own voice echo off the metal walls and floor seemed even worse in the dim greenish lighting. "Amy? Rory?"

_This is part of the game, sweetheart._ Rose jumped at the voice and looked around for the source, but found herself to be completely and utterly alone. _Don't worry, you're not alone. Your friends are here somewhere._ The voice unnerved Rose because it wasn't like she could actually hear it; it seemed to be coming from within. _Telepathy, my dear little human. You apes aren't accustomed to it, but no matter._

"Who are you?" Rose asked, feeling foolish for speaking aloud to a voice in her head. Her mother would think she was nuts if Rose even dreamed of trying to explain this to her. "Where are you?"

_I am everywhere. I am everything. I am you. I am Time and Life and Death. I know all, I see all, I control all. You are my puppets, and I am your master. Now dance._

Rose screamed aloud and grabbed her head as a searing pain broke out in her mind. She fell completely to the floor and laid her face on the grating, hoping to relieve some of the pain on the cool metal. And then, just as soon as the pain started, it was gone. Breathing heavily, afraid to move, Rose wondered if she'd died and gone to Hell.

_You might want to listen to me in the future_, said the Voice. _When I say to dance, you dance. But there is no time for silly dancing now. We must get to the real business. Find your friends and the Eye of Harmony. If you overcome my obstacles and pass my tests, I will consider letting you live._

"And if I don't?" Rose defied, feeling slightly courageous. There was some truth in her words; if she didn't comply, would she really die? Did this being have that power?

Pain, darkness, screams, worse than anything she'd ever felt in her life-Relief. On her back, panting, Rose knew she couldn't win this battle. She'd already lost before it had begun. Ashamed to be so weak and determined to find her friends, Rose sat up and slowly rose to her feet. If they were to find out who the Voice was, she needed to find the Doctor.

_Run_. She did.

* * *

Amelia Pond could always tell when something was wrong, like a sixth sense. Even if it was warm, her skin was get chilled and she distinctly felt the back of her neck, as if someone were watching her. After traveling with the Doctor for so long, she'd grown accustomed to hiding her suspicions to avoid alarming anyone else. She would casually look around, trying to find the source of her anxiety.

So when Amy saw that she was alone in a TARDIS corridor, she had goosebumps all over her body-and not the good kind. This dark version of the TARDIS reminded her of that time the ship was possessed by House, but oddly creepier. She needed to get back to the console room. But which way?

Her gut said right, so Amy went left. If someone had hacked into the sentient ship, they would most likely be able to influence her mind. Of course, they could have anticipated that, purposely willing her to go left by telling her to go right...if she thought too hard about it, she would drive herself mad. All Amy wanted to do was find Rory and the Doctor and make things right.

She walked as softly as possible in case there were unfriendly aliens on board the TARDIS. How did this even happen? It was rare when Amy had a faulty memory and right now, she could hardly remember her own husband's name-Rory, she forced herself to remember. That's where she was going.

Or was she going to see the Doctor? She loved him. Was he her husband? He had fallen into her life from the stars. Was he also a centurion?

Amy drifted into a brisk walking pattern as she turned corners without thinking, praying to Santa-a nervous habit from childhood-that she would recognize something that would give her a hint of her location. Nothing showed up.

She kept running, like the Doctor would tell her to. "Doctor!" she shouted, hoping that maybe he would answer. But if the TARDIS was as massive as she imagined, she could be ten miles away from him.

_Not quite that far_, a voice in her mind said. It was rare to come across species that dwelt in the mind, but Amy had encountered them in the past. She stopped in her tracks, surprised at the presence in her head. _Got your attention, have I?_

"Who are you?" Amy asked aloud, looking around as if she could find any evidence that would give the Voice away.

_All in good time. Keep running, it makes the game more interesting._ Behind her, Amy heard a hiss and a stomp. Even if it was her imagination or something the Voice made up to scare her, she didn't want to find out what caused the noise. Amy ran for her life and her husband.

* * *

At first, Rory Williams thought that the Doctor and Amy had pulled a practical joke on him and dragged him out of bed to leave him to fend for himself, but changed his mind quickly. There wasn't much that frightened Rory, but the thought of his wife in danger scared him more than anything. Scared him and empowered him.

Like he had decided more than two thousand years ago, Rory would do anything to keep his wife safe. He huffed and nervously adjusted his puffy blue vest. It was no Roman garb, but it would do.

The Last Centurion had returned. There was danger here. At one point in his life, he might've said "Trust the plastic," but he was human, and made of flesh and bone. Determined and full of power, the Roman confidently set off down the TARDIS corridors. "Amy?" he called out, checking one last time to make sure this wasn't a joke.

When she didn't answer, he knew that they were in trouble. He couldn't remember falling asleep or ending up in the hallway, which meant that someone or something had taken over the police box. Something compelled him to look to his left, and written on the wall in red ink-blood?-were the words BAD WOLF. It worried him.

Rory kept going, listening for any sounds that could reveal someone, whether friend or foe. There was nothing but silence, which made Rory remember that they had been looking for a definition of Silence-the Doctor and Rose had spoken of an alien race that wiped themselves from memory. The Silence could be anywhere and he wouldn't even know.

And then, in the distance, Rory heard a disturbance. A scream. He broke into a run, his trained muscles refusing to fail him, even if the floor did seem to be entirely uphill no matter where he went. He followed the sounds of pain for what seemed like forever. As they grew more frequent, Rory could tell that they were not his wife's screams. He'd heard enough of her screaming at Demon's Run to know when she was in pain or afraid.

Around a corner was Rose's huddled form on the floor, covering her ears and screaming as tears streamed down her face. As soon as he saw her, Rose went silent. Her eyes were still squeezed shut, and her rigid body was shaking. But then she was still, and Rory's nurse instincts took over. She was alive, but unconscious. He scooped her into his arms and slowly walked through the halls.

Her forehead was bleeding and bruised. When they found out whatever was going on, he would need to check for a concussion. Her relaxed body was pure dead weight, but Rory had the strength of a Roman Centurion who singlehandedly protected the Pandorica for two thousand years. The weight of one small human was nothing.

Rose moaned and shifted, bringing her hand up to her head. Rory looked down at her and said, "You alright?"

The blonde groaned once more and opened her eyes. "No," she mumbled. "But I can walk."

"You sure?"

She nodded and Rory set her down, careful not to injure her further. Rose wobbled a bit but recovered quickly. For the first time, she looked at the hand that had been pressed to her head and saw that it was covered in blood. Grimacing, she wiped it on her jeans and set her face. "We need to figure out what happened. Where are the Doctor and Amy?"

"I don't know," Rory said as they walked, watching her carefully so he could catch her if she fell. "I was trying to find them when I heard you screaming."

Rose bit down on her lip and kept her eyes forward. "Did you hear it, too? The voice, I mean." His blank expression gave his answer. "Something's controlling the ship, keeping us apart. I don't know how you found me. I swear I think I've been running for miles, but I never found anything."

She grimaced. _Run all you want, dearie. You'll never find what you're looking for._

Rory noticed her change in expression. "Was that the voice?" She nodded and he scrunched up his forehead. "Why can't I hear it?" He tried to fit together the puzzle pieces like he always did around the Doctor. Maybe that was the presence he could sense but not really feel. He chose not to let it take him. "I think I resisted it somehow."

"So you're immune?" The Voice screamed out of frustration in Rose's mind. She winced, "Yeah, I guess you are. Does that mean you can find your way out of here?"

Rory gave a firm nod. "We need to get a map of this place. The TARDIS is locked up, so she won't be able to rearrange herself to help us. If the Voice or whoever is in control can move stuff around, she's allowing it to. We need the schematics to the basic layout and maybe we can figure this out. Where's the console room?"

Rose shrugged. "You'll be able to find out sooner than me. I've got this _thing_ in my head that is keeping me from doing anything. Not to sound melodramatic or anything, but...I think it's up to you, Rory."

With a face-setting nod, Rory stared down the corridor. "Wow. No pressure." He looked down at the short girl and said, "Let's go."

They started at a walk, but then accelerated into a jog and then a sprint, determined to find Amy and the Doctor. The dark hallways were misleading, but they saw a dim light up ahead and followed it. Rose and Rory stumbled into the console room, but it was not the console room they knew.

This room was not as bright and joyful. This room had seen pain, drawn to the basics of life with its columns of coral and harsh metal grating. Everything seemed to have almost an orange tint. It seemed abandoned. Rose grew sadder as she looked around. This room had known pain. She felt a tremor in her mind before rushing anger. Somehow the sadness that overwhelmed her didn't seem like it was her own, nor that of the Voice.

"I don't think we're supposed to be in here," Rory whispered, afraid to disturb the peace of the different console room.

Not quite ignoring his statement, yet not agreeing, Rose murmured, "I think this is the old console room. I mean, the Doctor must've been in here once. It's so _sad_."

A chill ran through Rory and he shuddered. "Let's get out of here; we need to find Amy and the Doctor." Rose seemed reluctant to leave, but she followed Rory out of the room and back down the corridors. The Voice was mysteriously quiet. She wasn't sure if that was good or bad. It certainly wasn't comforting. As they walked, Rory whistled to himself. At Rose's confused glance, he said, "I needed noise while guarding the Pandorica. It's mostly just a nervous habit now."

Rose shrugged, afraid to say anything to remind the Voice that she still existed. There was no glee in the silence in her mind. Was it her imagination, or did the Voice chuckle? Great, now she was hearing things. Rose Tyler was one step away from belonging in the loony bin.

And then a scream. At first, Rose winced, thinking it was in her mind, but Rory jumped as well, and took off. It must've been Amy, Rose figured. She followed her friend as he passed through the halls, uninhibited by the anonymous entity in her mind. The Voice didn't speak directly to Rose, but she kept thinking about how she just wanted to stop and rest. Rose forced herself to keep following Rory because the Voice wanted her to stop and not save Amy and the Doctor.

Finally, Rory was able to complete the TARDIS maze and took Amy in his arms. Tears fell like rain and, shaking, she pointed to the wall. Written in what looked like-and they hoped-was red paint was _Tick tock goes the clock, even for the Doctor_.

At the same time, Rose and Amy shook, hearing, _Find the Eye of Harmony, children. And maybe you'll find the Doctor on the way. _ They exchanged a glance and, without saying anything, knew that the other had hear the same thing.

"Where's the Eye of Harmony?" asked Rose.

"_What's_ the Eye of Harmony?" Amy corrected. She looked at her husband, who shrugged.

"I can't hear the voice in your heads," Rory said. "It doesn't affect me."

"Then you've got to be the one to lead us, Centurion," Amy flirted. Rose grimaced and tried to ignore the married couple. After a brief kiss, Rory took Amy's hand and pulled her down the hall. Within seconds, they had found the console room and Rory explained that they'd found the old console room that House had threatened to delete.

Looking at all of the buttons confusedly, Rory said, "I guess I'll try to search for it."

"What are you going to do? Google it?" Amy's snark was unappreciated, earning her a quick glare from her husband. Just as Rory touched the console, the Voice gave a piercing scream, making the women bring their hands to their heads and cry out in pain. He worked quickly, determined to get his wife and friend out of pain while still getting his job done. There was no other way to do this.

It seemed that the Voice was distracted torturing the girls and could not multitask to stop Rory. The TARDIS aided him in finding a basic layout diagram and printed it out for him. "Thanks," he muttered before releasing the console and shouting, "I'm done now, whoever you are!"

Then the girls gasped for air and breathed heavily, nearly to the point of hyperventilation. Without any words, Rory slipped his hand into Amy's and led them out of the console room. The halls seemed to be fighting between shifting and remaining stationary in a Hogwarts-like way. The TARDIS was fighting back.

They came across a door on the right side of the corridor with no markings of any kind. Taking a quick glance at the others, Rose opened placed her hand on the knob and pushed the door open. She squinted in the bright light of the room beyond. It took a moment for her eyes to get used to the whiteness in contrast to the dimly lit halls, but then she saw a long figure lying on the floor.

Amy and Rory saw him at the same time (really, there was nothing else to look at), and rushed over to him. Rose knelt beside the Doctor's still body. His eyes were closed, his hands folded on his stomach. Rory checked the Doctor's pulse; both hearts were beating. The Time Lord was breathing, if shallowly. "He'll be okay," Rory said to Amy and Rose, "when he wakes up."

"He looks like he's in a coma," Rose said.

With a meaningful and amused look at her husband, Amy joked, "Funny how these things happen." Rory gave a small grin as he remembered their first adventure with the Doctor. "Prisoner Zero has escaped," Amy continued with a smile. "Nurse Rory, how do you wake someone from a coma?"

Before he could explain that he didn't know, Rose said, "He looks like Snow White. You know, the Disney movie?"

"He can't just need a kiss to wake up," Rory said. "This is real life."

Rose dead-panned, "Since when is real life normal?"

"I volunteer as tribute!" Amy stuck her arm in the air, grinning as she leaned down to the Doctor.

Slightly horrified, Rose pulled Amy back, "You're married, yeah?"

Amy's classic pout sat on her face and she sat back and crossed her arms. "We didn't even have a proper snog in the bushes at our wedding."

It was unfortunate that Rory was used to this sort of behavior. "Uh, probably because it was _our_ wedding," he said, gesturing between himself and his wife.

"Centurion has a point," Rose couldn't help but admit with a smile.

"So you're going to kiss him?" Amy asked.

Rose flushed. "I'm, uh-we're both taken."

"That didn't stop you before," the Scot said with a friendly sneer. It was then that Amy and Rory realized that Rose didn't remember what happened while she was possessed by Cassandra a few weeks before. Following Rose's questioning looks between the Ponds, Amy explained, "While you were possessed, you sort of...snogged the Doctor."

To say that Rose was embarrassed was putting it lightly. "I...what?"

"It was actually really funny," Rory said, trying to lighten the situation, even though his son-in-law was half of the guilty party. Then again, were the Doctor and Rose guilty if she had been possessed and he had been the victim?

"Not to mention hot," Amy said with a grin.

"Did you really think so?"

The three jumped at the sound of the Doctor's voice. They looked down and saw him lying there with a cocky grin on his face. "How long have you been awake?" asked Rose, completely mortified at the conversation's turn.

"A while," he said cryptically. "I have been told that I am quite talented, and Rose is quite a good kisser." As he sat up, the Doctor added, "I must say that I think River is my favorite woman to kiss, but it was a nice pash, Rose." She covered her eyes with one hand while the others laughed. "So why are we in the Zero Room?"

Rory and Amy looked around. "Is that where we are?" Rory asked. "We didn't know. We were looking for the Eye of Harmony."

"What the hell is all of this about?" asked Rose, slightly bitter from her embarrassment. She knew it wasn't their fault, but she couldn't help but blame Amy and Rory for her sour attitude. She could've gone her whole life without knowing that she snogged the Doctor. At least they all got some sort of entertainment out of it.

"The Zero Room is in its own dimension, just like the TARDIS. However, the walls are impenetrable and healing for Time Lords. I've come in here after a particularly rough regeneration, Four to Five if I remember correctly, and its been lost and rebuilt several times," the Doctor explained. "The Laws of Physics don't even apply if you don't want them to." To prove his point, the Doctor left gravity behind and hovered in the air with a childish grin and accompanying giggle.

Rory studied the map in his hands. "How come it didn't show up?"

"And who's taken over the TARDIS?" Amy interjected. "Why are you even in here-"

"Taken over the TARDIS?" The Doctor was agog and aghast, sinking to the ground. "That's not possible."

Rory rolled his eyes. "House, Doctor?"

"Oh, yeah. But that was different! We had left the TARDIS; nothing should get through into my TARDIS!" Clearly, something had. Sometimes the Doctor just needed someone to smack him. This was not the day, as they needed his help to get through the TARDIS.

"Eye of Harmony, Doctor?" Rose asked, trying to get the group back on track. Once on a tangent, the path never wound back to the starting point. "Where is it? What is it?"

"Every Type-24 TARDIS and beyond has a copy of the Eye of Harmony," the Doctor explained. "The original was on Gallifrey-it's gone now. The Eye of Harmony is linked with the Heart of the TARDIS, and is a power source. My TARDIS' Eye shouldn't function since the link with the Eye on Gallifrey was broken. It drained slowly, leaving the rest of the work up to the Heart. We have to stop and refuel because of the missing power supply. The Eye is in the Cloister room."

"The console room?" Rory asked, seeking clarification.

"No," the Doctor shook his head, "the Cloister room. Very difficult place to find and get into. It doesn't seem that whoever has taken over the TARDIS knows where it is, but doesn't want you to be able to stop them from doing...whatever they're planning. And whoever can get through to the TARDIS during flight is powerful. I don't remember coming in here, so we best get out quickly."

Leaping to his feet like an energetic child or perhaps a monkey, the Doctor didn't wait for the others to follow as he jogged out the door. Rose and Amy trembled from the screams in their mind, but tried not to slow down. Just then, the Doctor stopped and turned. Rory caught Amy and reached for Rose, but she slammed into the wall trying to slow.

The Doctor pressed his fingers to Rose's temples. "You've got to put up a door. It's in your mind, right? Put up a steel door that nothing can get through. Focus on that and nothing else." To Amy and Rory, he added, "You, too."

Rose squeezed her eyes shut, trying to imagine the door that the Doctor had described. "How'd you-"

"I felt it trying to get into my mind, and knew that humans didn't have the mental control required to fight this battle. Put up your doors."

Rory held his wife's hand as she fought her own mind, and said, "Why doesn't it affect me, Doctor?"

Looking at Rory quizzically, the Doctor shrugged. "I don't know, Rory, but just be glad it doesn't. Let's go." He grabbed Rose's hand and flung her down the hall with Amy and Rory at their heels. The Doctor tried to communicate with the TARDIS, but the line was twisted and knotted so that their connection was weakened. She managed to lead him down the right paths and before long, a familiar door stood in front of the Doctor. No matter how many times the console rooms and hallways changed, this door always looked the same.

He threw open the door and stared into the cavernous room of stone. Slowly approaching the Eye of Harmony, the Doctor wondered if the black hole would still be active. As long as they stayed outside the event horizon, all would be fine. Most likely. Probably. Hopefully.

Who had gotten inside the TARDIS?

And just as the Doctor stepped up to see the center of the Eye, the TARDIS shook violently. If they had been on Earth, he would have thought that this was an earthquake. This was no earthquake.

The Doctor spun around on his heels and bolted out the door, confusing the others. Rose was the first to react, and within seconds was following the Doctor with Rory and Amy. Sprinting through the halls, running their hands along the walls to keep from falling as the TARDIS shook, the group aimed for the console room. Unlike earlier, the room was easy to find.

Much to their surprise, the familiar room was now unfamiliar. A blinding light filled the room. The Doctor squinted in the light and the others tried to keep their eyes open. It was a struggle, nearly impossible. "The Heart of the TARDIS has been opened! Don't look into the light!" the Doctor commanded at the top of his lungs.

Rory pulled Amy into his arms and held her against his chest, burying his face in her hair to block some of the light. It was like staring into the sun for an eternity. Rose covered her eyes with her arm, holding on to the railing for dear life. The Doctor bounded toward the console; he would risk a regeneration to keep his precious humans safe.

A voice-the Voice-spoke aloud, _"Run you clever boy, and remember."_

But just before the Doctor could place his hands on the console, the light faded and the console repaired itself. The shaking stopped, and all of their minds were clear. The Voice was gone, out the open TARDIS doors and back into the Vortex. They were safe.

But who had gotten inside the TARDIS?

And then they began to crash.

* * *

**Please, please, _please_ review!**

**Next Week: Age of Tyranny**


	7. Age of Tyranny

**To address some concerns: This will be River/Doctor and Rose/Doctor. River/Doctor is established in this story, and the Doctor cannot just drop his _wife_ for a younger model. There will be Rose & the Doctor, but it has to be developed and make sense within the parameters of this story's universe.**

**I had a lot of fun writing this chapter! Remember that I love to hear your thoughts and constructive criticism is always welcome. Thanks! (And wasn't last night's ep awesome?)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_Chapter VI - Age of Tyranny_

Stepping outside the TARDIS was a relief. Smoke poured out of the blue box behind the Time Lord and his humans. They choked and stumbled away to get fresh air. "Extractor fans on!" the Doctor shouted into the box, and coughed as the TARDIS tried to take care of the mess left from the crash.

"What happened?" asked Amy. "Why did we crash? Where are we?"

"We're in London," Rose answered without giving anyone else the chance to. She looked around, recognizing the concrete park a few blocks away from her home. "Mum's flat is just over there."

Rory sighed, clearly pleased that they were somewhere familiar. "Do you think we can go get some tea?"

Rose shrugged. "I don't see why not. That alright with you, Doctor?"

He stared blankly at her before making an elaborate motion with his hands to accompany his words: "Why would it matter to me? You just take care of yourselves while I take care of the TARDIS. We should be able to get back up and running soon, once she clears the smoke and I can determine what's keeping us."

Rose exchanged a look with Amy and Rory before heading off toward the Estate. It was amazing how much this place didn't change. She'd been gone for weeks and it still looked exactly the same. But where and when had they landed? Was it possible for her to run into herself? Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all...

"What's the date?" Rose asked, pulling out her mobile. She answered her own question. "Sixth of April of last year. We can't be here. I'll see myself and since I don't remember that happening, that could be bad."

Amy and Rory weren't paying attention. Their eyes were fixed on a chalk graffiti that read 'BAD WOLF'. "Wasn't that written in the TARDIS walls?" asked Rory. The women shrugged and Rory continued, "That's weird. But, uh, maybe it's something from pop culture. I mean, we are pretty isolated in the TARDIS." His words seemed more an attempt at self-reassurance than an actual explanation. None could disagree with his logic.

"Oh my God," Rose said, pointing at a poster of a man pasted to the brick wall. Labeled 'Your Prime Minister, Pete Tyler', the poster had the smiling face of a tall man with blonde hair giving a thumbs-up. "That's my dad."

Rory and Amy scrutinized the photo. The resemblance between Rose and the man was there. "But this is 2004? How can your dad be prime minister?" Amy asked. "I would remember Pete Tyler being mentioned at some point."

"That can't be my dad," Rose said, raising her fingers to the poster. She looked at the Ponds. "My dad's dead. He died when I was a baby. I don't even remember him."

"But how can he be prime minster?" asked Rory. Amy hesitated, but then took off at a run for the Doctor and the TARDIS. Following closely, they ran at a pace to rival a car. And why hadn't they seen any cars? The air did seem clearer. But if this was the past, how could everything be different.

Just as they rounded the corner, the Doctor waved them over, his face revealing his concern. "This isn't Earth," he said as they approached and stopped to catch their breath. "We're in a parallel universe. Somehow we ended up here when the TARDIS crashed. It must have had something to do with whoever got in the TARDIS. We need to get out of here quickly."

Amy folded her arms. "When will the TARDIS be ready?"

Before the Doctor could answer, Rory said, "So if we're in a parallel universe, anything could happen. We could see ourselves or kill our gangers or be killed. So there are just little changes?"

"Something is different here," the Doctor said as he looked around, taking in the surroundings. "Something in my mind is not quite the same. But Earth shouldn't have telepathic technology for several more centuries, so what's causing it?"

"Doctor, my dad's alive," Rose said, chewing on her lip. "He's prime minister."

The Doctor clapped his hands together and grinned. "Well that's positive! If he is anything like you, Rose, then this Britain is destined for greatness."

Rose didn't smile, but asked to borrow Amy's mobile, for it was more modern than Rose's own phone and had internet capabilities. She did a search for her father and read up on his story while the Doctor worked on the TARDIS. Amy and Rory stood off to the side, talking and flirting. There were no other people out.

An orange cat brushed against Rose's feet, and she leaned down to pet the stray with one hand while she waited for the page to load. The cat left quickly and Rose straightened up, shifting her weight to her left. According to the Pete Tyler wiki page, he was married to Jackie Tyler and had no children. He'd become prime minister eight years ago with no intention of relinquishing the position. Unlike the real world (if it could be called that), Pete had not been elected, but appointed by the Supreme Master, whatever that meant.

Fifteen minutes passed, and the TARDIS still did not seem ready to leave. Amy and Rory looked bored, Rose was still Googling her dad, and the Doctor seemed to be growing increasingly frustrated. His mind was driving him insane. There was some sort of presence there, but it was unfamiliar and unclear. He wracked his memory, trying to figure out if something had been seen or heard since landing here that would give any inclination as to who or what was in his head. It didn't seem to affect the others, so perhaps it was the Voice who had chosen a new victim.

Footsteps approached the blacktop where they stood, and the Doctor looked up, as did his companions. The sound was uniform and forceful, like a military. A group of a dozen men turned the corner and approached the four travelers. They were wearing crimson jackets with gold tassels and carried guns. Without a word, they marched up to the four and seized them.

Rose screamed as she turned, having seen her attacker's face. While unrecognizable to her, they looked completely human. Rory and Amy struggled against their captors, crying out to the Doctor, who seemed to be unresponsive. Yes, he was conscious, but doubled over in pain with his hands clutching his head.

A shot rang out. Rose screamed again and tried to pull away, only to be gripped even tighter. The guard holding Rory collapsed as more shots were fired, blood pooling on the gray cement. Rory helped release Amy, then met the Doctor's eyes.

An eternity passed before both men nodded. Rory led Amy, running off into a shadowed alley before disappearing around a corner.

The Doctor and Rose were cuffed and roughly tossed into the back of a van. Rose struggled to sit up as the van sped over bumps and around sharp turns. "Who are they, Doctor?" she managed to ask.

He ignored her question, instead asking, "Are you alright?" They turned left quickly and were thrown to the opposite wall.

Rose fell into the Doctor and hissed, "Been better." She scuttled over, still struggling against inertia. The van was dimly lit and completely empty. There were no weapons of any sort, nor tools to use for defense.

"He knows we're coming," the Doctor said suddenly as Rose was flung into him once more.

"Who?"

"There weren't supposed to be _any_ left. Not anywhere. How is this possible?"

"What?"

"Oh, Rose, this isn't going to end well."

Before she could make any statements, the van halted violently and the doors were opened. Squinting in the sudden brightness, Rose and the Doctor were pulled from the van, and in front of a massive building.

"Bloody hell," Rose mumbled as she recognized their location: Buckingham Palace.

A large tapestry fluttered just inside the doors they were dragged through. It was crimson with gold text: a circular language that Rose had seen on the TARDIS. The Doctor paled. He looked to Rose and said, "No matter what happens, do not draw attention to yourself. I didn't recognize his walls; it's been so long. We should never have come here." He continued to mumble until they reached what seemed to be some sort of throne room. Scarlet tapestries fluttered in the breeze from the open windows, each with a unique gold symbol. The Doctor grew more wary as his eyes scanned each.

"You will kneel before your Lord and Master," a guard commanded. Rose and the Doctor were un-cuffed, but knew better than to try to escape. Footsteps echoed from a far hall, and the guards shoved Rose and the Doctor onto their knees. He reached for her hand and held it tightly.

"Be brave," he whispered. She gave him a weak smile of reassurance in return. The Doctor took a deep breath and grimly looked upon the room's entrance. In walked an entourage of guards surrounding a tall figure. The Red Seas parted, and out stepped a man with a manic grin that seemed to match his messy hair and pin-striped suit.

* * *

Amy and Rory ran as fast as possible, determined to escape so they could start to figure out a plan to rescue the Doctor and Rose. Once they were several blocks away from the danger, the couple slowed to a brisk walk and stopped behind a dumpster to rest. Chest heaving, Amy closed her eyes and leaned against the brick wall. Rory pulled out his mobile and began an internet search on who was in control of this Britain. Those men did not look like the police in their world, but were too official to be rebels or a gang.

They only allowed themselves a short break of a few minutes before taking off again. Getting caught was the last thing they wanted if they were to help the others. Walking slowly enough to appear casual, the Ponds took account of everything and everyone around them. Having made their way to a busier part of London, more people were out shopping. Life seemed almost normal, if not for the more advanced technology and fewer people out and about.

"What is this place?" Amy asked her husband, reaching for his hand.

He grimaced. "I dunno, but it's far from home. Amy, I have a feeling we're not in England anymore." They exchanged a quick smile and a laugh, but then turned serious again. How were they supposed to figure anything out?

There still weren't very many cars out, only a few official looking vans and automobiles, with what looked like the affluent being driven around. A black van that had several dents pulled up to the curb alongside Amy and Rory. Wary of the people inside because of how the Doctor and Rose had been captured, the Ponds turned to face the driver.

It was a man with spiked blonde hair wearing a black t-shirt. He grinned. "Get in," he said, his accent revealing his home of Wales. "We can help you find your friends."

Amy and Rory exchanged a glance before pulling open the passenger door and climbing in. It was a tight squeeze on the bench in the front of the van, but not impossible. Yes, it was dangerous to trust a stranger in such a dangerous place, but how else were they supposed to find the others?

"I'm Jake Simmonds," the driver said, looking for traffic before pulling out onto the road again. "Saw that you'd been with two others and got attacked. You ran, they were arrested. Bit usual, except for the bit where you two actually got away. You two rebels, then?"

"No," Amy said quickly. "Just travelers. I, uh, I'm Amy Williams and this is my husband, Rory."

"Married, that's nice," Jake said as he drove. "Well, you sure aren't from here, judging by how obvious you were being."

"How do you mean?" asked Rory, thinking back on what they had done since arriving.

Jake laughed. "You admired the scenery. The posters, the graffiti...all done on purpose."

"But you weren't there," Amy interrupted. "How did you see us get ambushed?"

He nodded; it was a fair question. "We have techies who hack the cameras. Saw you bein' different and then attacked. Knew we needed to pick you up before they did."

"And who's they?" asked Rory.

"Government. Bit corrupt around here, they are." Jake explained more as they drove. No one else seemed to be out on the streets. Eventually, the Welshman stopped talking and they drove in silence. Overall, the ride was short, but it seemed to drag forever. Finally, they stopped in an alley behind an industrial building made of old bricks.

"Welcome to the Church, home of the Preachers," Jake said with a cryptic smile. He locked the vehicle before leading Amy and Rory to a metal fire escape. They climbed to the third floor of the building before stopping. Jake knocked on the thick door-a set pattern of four taps.

There was a single knock back, and then Jake knocked twice more. The door unlatched, and then opened a crack. "Password?" a female voice said.

Jake rolled his eyes. "Really, Donna? You know it's me. I've got the other two."

"Well, aren't you just a bucket of sunshine?" Donna said, still hidden from view. "You know how careful they are. Password?"

The blonde man sighed and said, "Torchwood."

"Wrong," Donna said.

"She changed it again?" There was a vague sound of assent, and Jake muttered, "Shit." He wracked his brain before huffing loudly. "Let me the hell in, Donna. We've got business to do."

"Close enough," she said, and the door opened, revealing a tall woman with long red hair, not unlike Amy's. She looked older than the Ponds, but not by too much.

"This is Donna Noble," Jake said crossly, "temp extraordinaire and our bouncer. Sort of."

She smiled and gave a quick wave before leading them through the dark room to a dimly lit hallway. All of the windows had thick curtains over them, only allowing slivers of light through. The place looked abandoned, which must work in their favor since they didn't seem to be law-abiding citizens. They were led into another room, but this one looked more like something they were used to.

The walls were a stark white with fluorescent lights shining brightly. Computer screens sat on the desks which littered the floor. Cords and wires covered the floor, connecting everything to everything else, and eventually leading to a large screen hanging on the wall.

An attractive man with dark brown hair and a vintage military coat approached them, extending his hand. "Hello," he said suggestively, "I'm Captain Jack Harkness."

Rory, becoming defensive and protective of his wife, took the American's hand before his wife could and said, "I'm Rory Williams, and this is my _wife_, Amy."

"Ignore him," a different female voice said. "He's always like that." The woman walked over and smacked Jack on the arm before smiling and reaching to shake the Ponds' hands. She was shorter than the Pond couple, with flawless dark skin. "Martha Jones, UNIT representative. Well, more like the only member left."

Amy and Rory smiled and looked around the rest of the room. There were some other people working, and a few flitting in and out of the room determinedly. It seemed that they would never stop working. "Can you help us find the Doctor and Rose?" asked Amy.

"We're already working on it," Martha said, leading them over to the large screen. Several camera views were showing, with other screens of fast typing and search bars. The words 'ACCESS DENIED' flashed on the screen before there was more quick typing. "Did you say your friend was called the Doctor?" When Amy and Rory nodded, Martha said, "That's odd. The name of the man in charge is also the Doctor. He's not human."

"Neither is our Doctor," Amy said, feeling much more at home with these people than she thought she would. It saved them a lot of trouble if the others already knew about aliens and time and space travel.

"We're from another universe," Rory said. "We fell through here on accident. I think we need to rescue the others and just get home."

"It's gonna take some time," Jack said, clapping Rory on the back. "But we're working on it. Ianto's getting coffee, and then we're gonna work overtime to get your friends back."

"But why do you want to help us?" asked Amy.

Jack gave a quick smile. "Because you're different."

"You keep saying that," Rory said, "but you never define it."

"Think of it this way," Martha began to explain, "we need help to overthrow the government and it's kind of obvious that you've got the technology to help us. With the help of your machine-that blue box-we can launch our program to stop the Doctor."

"How can the TARDIS help you?"

"Advanced technology," a new voice said. They looked over at a near set of computers to see a small woman sitting criss cross in her chair, typing furiously. Without looking up, she continued, "Time and Relative Dimensions in Space, right?"

Amy and Rory, on their guard, looked at each other before unanimously saying, "Yeah."

The woman stopped typing and looked up at them. "Is there a way to say genius that's modest and a tiny bit sexy?" The couple exchanged another look and the woman smiled. "Clara Oswald. I'm a bit of a computer freak."

Taking Rory's hand, Amy smiled. Maybe this wasn't so impossible after all.

* * *

Rose couldn't help but admit that this man was incredibly attractive, even though he had enslaved all the Earth. Something in his eyes seemed familiar. His voice was smooth and deep. "And who are you? Clearly, you aren't from Earth. Oh, your walls are easy to break"-the Doctor winced as the man snapped down one of his more superficial barriers- "Time Lord. So who are you, and how did you survive me?"

"I'm the Doctor," he said loudly, squeezing Rose's hand tightly, "the last of the Time Lords."

The other man laughed. "No, _I'm_ the Doctor, the killer of the Time Lords. So you're me from the future?"

"Not exactly."

"Why in the name of Rassilon would I wear something as childish as a bow tie. Bit pretentious?"

"Bow ties are cool," the Doctor said boldly.

The other Doctor walked closer and asked, "Where are you from?" No answer. Rose could tell from the way the men were staring at each other that they were having a mental battle. Suddenly, the trainer-wearing Doctor shrugged, "No problem. She'll answer me." He pulled Rose up roughly, holding her close to him. "What's your name."

She bit her lip before answering, "Rose Tyler."

"Thank you for being cooperative, Rose Tyler. I'll be getting to know you well." Somehow, that didn't make Rose feel better about being in this man's arms.

He placed his fingertips on her temples, gently caressing her head. Rose's Doctor shouted, "You can't do that!"

And then Rose felt the strangest thing. She cried out as the Doctor pressed his mind fully into hers with no warning. He was rough and forceful as he probed her mind, filling her being completely. Somewhere in the distance, Rose thought she heard her Doctor shouting in protest, but she could only focus on the man in her head. Not only was the situation uncomfortable, it was painful and surprisingly intimate. Was it raining or was Rose crying?

Then the Doctor pulled out suddenly. Rose collapsed to the floor, feeling oddly violated.

"She's _human!_" Rose's Doctor shouted angrily. "According to Article Nine of the Shadow Proclamation-"

"Don't quote ancient legislature to me," scoffed the dark Doctor. "I destroyed it. I am the supreme ruler of the universe-the Time Lord victorious."

Rose moaned and clutched her head. It was almost as if she could still feel him there. How could the two men be one and the same, even if from different realities? They were nothing alike. The Doctor was kind. This man was twisted. He was so _wrong_. How could this have happened?

Rose was glad Amy and Rory had escaped. But how would Rose and the Doctor get out of this mess? It seemed unlikely that this Time Lord would just let them go.

As if he'd read her mind-which was not entirely impossible-this world's Doctor said, "Miss Tyler, I would be greatly honored if you would accompany me to dinner. As for you, _Doctor_," he spat with disgust, "your TARDIS will be located and destroyed. You will leave my palace, never to return, but only after the use of the Chameleon Arch."

Guards pushed Rose and the Doctor from the room, and separated them down different halls. Rose found herself in an ornate bedroom unlike anything she'd ever seen. The customs must have been from the Doctor's home planet because they were not of Earth.

The walls were cream with ivory accents and moulding. Scarlet curtains hung at the windows, matching the crimson comforter on the four-post mahogany bed. Rose immediately went to the windows, but they were locked. With a sigh, Rose searched for another means of escape, finding none.

Turning to the wardrobe, Rose saw that the only dress was a floor-length TARDIS blue evening gown. Slipping her trainers off, Rose held up the dress. It looked like it would fit well, if not perfectly. How could this new Doctor have known her size? Maybe the wardrobe was like the wardrobe in the TARDIS-it would adjust to her size. Somehow that wasn't reassuring.

Rose pulled off her jumper and stepped out of her jeans. She had certainly lost weight since coming onboard the TARDIS. Whenever she went home, surely her mum would notice and be suspicious. How could she lose ten pounds over night-literally? For once, Rose wasn't entirely unhappy with her body. The obscene amount of running seemed to do her well, and even her face had begun to thin out. Maybe she was finally losing her baby fat. Age nineteen seemed late for that to happen, though.

When would she see her mother and boyfriend again? _Would_ she see her mother and boyfriend again? It didn't seem like they were going to make it out of this alive. As frustrating as that was, Rose hoped that the Doctor-her Doctor-had some sort of plan to get them out of this mess. Surely he'd been in a situation like this before.

Rose pulled out her mobile and called her mum. The signal wouldn't reach from this universe to the next. She couldn't call home. If Rose never made it out of this alive, no one would know what happened to her. Rose thought she might be sick.

Dressed only in her unmentionables, Rose sat on the posh bed, feeling a headache coming on. Tears prickled at her eyes and Rose bit down on her lip. She would never see her family again. They would never see her again.

And then Rose remembered that she was not some poor damsel in distress. She would help the Doctor figure a way out of this. Not to mention that Rory and Amy were off somewhere hopefully figuring out how to fix this. Rose stood and picked up the TARDIS blue dress once more.

This must be the Doctor's favorite color in every universe, subconscious or not. And as Rose slid it on, she felt beautiful. The color was really gorgeous and the dress was flattering. She fumbled with the buttons on the back, but eventually got the dress situated. A pair of silver flats were on the wardrobe floor. It seemed this Doctor thought of everything.

Rose's stomach grumbled, and she realized that she didn't know how hungry she was. Hopefully her Doctor would be at dinner as well. She didn't want to be alone with this man who'd been in her mind without her permission. Sure, the TARDIS did the same thing, but that was different. This-for lack of a better description-had been like a rape: intimate and unwanted.

She shuddered and shook off the feeling. She didn't want to think about that _man_ in her mind. There was a knock at the door. Hesitantly, Rose opened the door. It was a guard. He said nothing, but Rose understood that she was to follow.

Another guard walked behind Rose so she couldn't drift away, and she tried to admire the scenery. This couldn't be what the Buckingham Palace in her world looked like. It was too Gallifreyan, too alien. Just before walking into the room where they would eat dinner, Rose took a deep breath and straightened completely. She wanted to look intimidating and confident (and maybe beautiful for once, since she never got that luxury back home).

The large room had a long table in the center, but, other than a few guards, was completely empty save for the Doctor-the Time Lord from this universe. Her Doctor was nowhere to be seen. The man with the fabulous hair stood as she entered the room and motioned for her to sit across from him. As Rose took her seat, she noticed that she had to be at least fifteen feet away from him. That was good; she didn't want to be too close to this monster of a man.

The first course was brought out and Rose tried to eat slowly, despite her hunger. She offered no start of a conversation, but knew she would be forced to talk eventually. It turned out that 'eventually' was sooner than she had hoped.

"Tell me about yourself, Rose Tyler," the Doctor said.

Quickly swallowing a bite of a roll she'd been eating, Rose thought before saying, "Not much to say. I'm just a shop girl from London. I'm nothin' special."

He smiled. "Oh, but there's got to be something special about you if the other me took an ape like you along. If he's anything like me, which I suppose he is-_well_, was like me-he must think of you as pets."

Rose's brow creased, and she shook her head. "We're not his _pets_. We help him save the universe. He saved us, we save him."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "Molto bene." He turned to his food and continued eating. Rose did the same, trying to appear civilized while still eating more quickly than she would have liked. Of all the days to skip breakfast... "So you travel with him, then. The universe is quite exciting, no? I love to travel. Of course, I'm busy being in charge so much now that I can't-"

"Why did you enslave the earth?" Rose interrupted. He looked quizzically at her, obviously not used to being cut off mid-sentence. "How could you do something like that?"

"It needed my protection. You lot are just so stupid. If there's ever a problem, you don't say, 'We should get out of here.' You say, 'let's go aggravate the problem and screw ourselves over.' Quite exhausting. With a Time Lord in charge, everything runs so much more smoothly. I'm just a more naturally clever species."

Rose didn't look at him as she continued eating. Any other questions he asked were brushed off or given a one word answer. An hour or so passed before the Doctor stood and walked to Rose. His stride was so large, it only took a few steps before he was at her side, extending his hand.

"May I have this dance?"

She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. "Are you joking?" When it became apparent that he was not, she tentatively put her hand in his and allowed him to lead her away from the table. Strangely enough, his hand felt like her Doctor's hand. It was a different size, with different skin, but it felt the same. Maybe it wasn't entirely impossible that they were the same man. Then again, this Doctor was a psychopath.

He gently placed one of her hands on his shoulder and laced his fingers through the other. With his free arm, the Doctor pulled her much closer than Rose was comfortable with. Held against him, they began to sway to the soft sounds of the piano in the corner.

Rose refused to meet his eyes, rather looking off to the side. He was taller than her Doctor, but was still tall and thin. The Doctor pulled her even closer and began to hum along in a language that was not English-it didn't even sound like it was from this planet. Rose assumed it was Old High Gallifreyan, the lost language of the Time Lords. She'd heard the Doctor cuss in it several times when he was frustrated with the TARDIS.

For some reason, Rose's eyes began to fill with tears of hatred. How could he stand here, singing in the language of the people he murdered? She pushed herself away from him, but he caught her hand. "You're terrible!" she exclaimed. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

His eyes grew dark. "I am the Last of the Time Lords, the ruler of the universe, the Oncoming Storm."

"You're a coward!" Rose shouted, trying to pull away from him. He was much stronger than her and would not let her wrist go.

"Don't you _dare_ say that!" the Doctor roared, tightening his grip on her wrist.

Rose cried out in pain and tried to pry his fingers from around her wrist. The Doctor seized her other hand, and Rose kicked his shin. Taken by surprise, the Doctor loosened his grip enough for Rose to pull herself free and start to run.

She fled.

_To Be Continued_

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed that. Please review! Your thoughts mean the world to me!**

**Next Week: The Dark Doctor**


	8. The Dark Doctor

**Sorry about the wait, but this is how this is gonna go. If you want me to continue, I _need_ to know. Like, you need to tell me. Thanks for following/favouriting, but I need actual feedback from you. I didn't actually feel like writing this until today, so if you want me to continue, please review. (And I updated the fourth chapter with a continuity error on my part, but it's no big deal.)**

**Oh, and there's Doctor/Rose in here for those of you who've been asking, which makes me want to warn y'all that the rating on this chapter is _high_ T, but still nothing you wouldn't see on network television.**

**That said, enjoy!**

* * *

_Chapter VII - The Dark Doctor_

Amy folded her arms across her chest. "Hang on," she began, "so we're going to save the Doctor and Rose by kidnapping the _Prime Minister_? How the hell is that going to accomplish anything?"

"We're already London's Most Wanted," Ricky Smith said, having come to the meeting later than the others. Average height with dark skin, Ricky was one of the founding Preachers. "How much worse can it get?"

Rory cocked his head to the side, considering their options. Honestly, they didn't have much of a choice. While Buckingham Palace was surprisingly easy to break into, the difficult part was locating and taking down the Doctor. Even Clara Oswald couldn't hack into those servers, and Torchwood had nothing since its destruction after the Doctor's rise to power.

"I don't think we have much of a choice, Amy," Rory said to his wife. "These people are our only hope and this is what they suggest."

Amy sighed, still unconvinced and unhappy. In her mind, this should just go much easier. "Fine, but I'm not sitting out and that's a fact."

"We never said you would have to," Martha said, glad that their primary source of opposition was now in agreement, if somewhat begrudgingly. Turning to the large screen mounted on the wall, Martha pressed a button on the clicker in her hand, bringing up a large photograph of Pete Tyler and an announcement for the press conference this afternoon. "Lifting him during the conference is our best bet. Security will be high, but they'll be lazy and unsuspecting."

Jack spoke up, "Torchwood will stay here with Clara to watch the reports for any dangerous activity-other than us-and to keep us all connected. Bravo Team-Ricky, Jake, Amy, and Rory-will be in the crowd as a distraction and as backup, and to pick us up when we're ready. Alpha Team-Martha, Gwen, and myself-will-"

"Hang on," Ricky interrupted, "how come you're Alpha Team? You came second on the list."

The American smiled. "Because I'm the alpha dog, and you're Ricky Mouse."

"Wow, thanks Captain Cheesecake."

"Oi!" Donna shouted from her desk. "We're running on a tight schedule here."

"Right," Martha said. "Jack, Gwen, and I will lift the Prime Minister and get him out of there. We'll meet in the van, and will proceed from there. Are we clear?"

Nods and hums of assent echoed in the quiet room. "Come get your earpieces," Owen said from a table in the back. The group went and put the bluetooth-like devices in their ears so they could stay connected. Rory pushed a button on his and a high-pitched buzz screeched into everyone's ear. Over the cries of shock and pain, Rory shouted, "Sorry! Sorry, won't happen again."

"Don't worry, Centurion," Amy said with a flirty smile, "this sort of technology is about two thousand years after your time."

"Hey," Rory said, running his hand down her arm. "I waited those two thousand years while you were stuck in a box."

"And I'm so very grateful," she said, kissing him quickly. To the others, Amy added, "Let's get this show on the road. I'm tired and gonna punch the Doctor in the face for all this trouble."

Rory laughed, ready to get all of this over with so they could go home.

* * *

The Doctor of this universe approached the small room in the Tower of London that the Doctor from the other universe had inhabited. A guard opened the door, and the Time Lord Victorious entered. "I'm kind of surprised you haven't gotten rid of me yet. Afraid?" asked the Doctor, adjusting his bow tie.

The pin-striped Doctor laughed, a hollow sound devoid of real feeling. "Of you? You wish." He raises his own sonic screwdriver and blue light brightens the room just before the overhead light comes on. "Now that's better. I prefer to see who I'm speaking with."

Trying to gain a few inches of height, the younger looking (yet older) Doctor stood up straight and looked directly in the other man's eyes. "I don't care what you do with me, but let Rose Tyler go. She will go home, never to return, and you have me to do whatever you want with."

"Oh, but she's so fun!" the other man whined. "She likes you, you know. S'kind of sad, really. Poor little ape girl, can't control her own chemical balance. She's developing _feelings_ for you. That must be embarrassing."

"You're so removed from affection that you don't even remember what it's like to have friends."

The taller Time Lord rolled his eyes. "You're boring me. Maybe I should just kill you. How many lives do you have left?"

To be honest, the Doctor himself didn't even know. He was on his eleventh body, but if River truly had given him her remaining regenerations, he would have at least ten more, but that was hoping the process actually worked. (Unless, of course, River was-but no, that was impossible; he watched her die.) He settled for an answer of, "Does it even matter?"

The Time Lord Victorious huffed. "You really aren't much fun. You're Mr. Boring of Boringtown, Borigania on the planet Bor-Boring in the system Boring Two. And so's your dad."

"You mean your dad," the Doctor said before he could stop himself. They really could not have been raised by the same Time Lords could they? The two men were so different. Of course, they'd each suffered their own tragedies. He continued, "Back to the matter of Rose Tyler-"

"Oh, you're so _noble_," he sneered. "It's quite dull. This planet is just terrible. Human apes are pointless creatures. I should just get rid of them all before they drive me mad."

"But that's why humans are brilliant!" the bow tie-wearing Doctor exclaimed. "They are fascinating and wonderful and stupid at times, but-"

"Shut up," the taller man sighed. "I'm going to find that blonde girl again. And then I've got a press conference she might be interested in going to."

When he was alone, the Doctor said to himself, "I doubt it."

He surveyed the small room (it looked different with the lights still on, despite his better Time Lord senses in the dark), and looked at some graffiti a previous guest had scratched into the concrete wall. The words _BAD WOLF _meant nothing to him.

* * *

Static buzzed in Amy's ear. She pressed her index finger to the device to stop the noise. That always seemed to work in the movies. It didn't help. _"Command to Captain, Command to Captain, do you copy?"_ the static-y voice of Clara asked.

_"Loud and clear, Command,"_ Jack's voice replied. _"You there Ricky Mouse?"_

Ricky groaned, not looking away from the large stage several hundred meters away. "Begging for a different codename, but yes. I'm here."

_"Good. Give the PM approximately thirty seconds to speak, then we lift him. Oswald, give us a media blackout twenty-eight seconds in, then Ianto will let the pyro loose. Bravo team, be prepared for a quick getaway, and backup if needed."_

"Roger that," Rickey said to Jack's voice, and Amy mimicked him.

She looked up at her husband. "This is so much fun!"

He looked at her like she'd grown another head. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Come on," she elbowed him in the ribs, "you always wanted to be James Bond, yeah? Well, here's your chance. You're double-oh-seven! And I'm your sexy assistant." She stood up on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around Rory's neck and pressed her lips to his.

"Oi!" Jake squealed like a manly little girl. He was stationed in the van a few feet away, ready for their 'quick getaway'.

_"No snogging unless I'm involved_," Jack's voice said. _"Captain's orders."_

"Maybe another time," Amy said, and Rory paled.

_"It's go time_," Martha said. Amy stood as high as she could to try and see over the crowds of people. She could just barely see Jack, Martha, and the others standing spread across the masses towards the center of Trafalgar Square, near the podium.

A man stood up and walked towards the microphone. "Greetings, citizen!" Cheers erupted for the man who Amy recognized as the Secretary of State from the images hanging in the headquarters. This government was so different from the real one. She looked around more while the man kept talking, admiring the zeppelins in the sky. _That_ was something that would take getting used to if it happened back home.

The jubilant screaming rose in volume to a screeching level as a man with light hair took the podium. Chattering in her ear picked up as they climbed into the van, several voices counting down and giving out commands and reminders. Amy looked a screen to get a better look just before it cut out into what looked like a blizzard of static.

Two seconds later, a gunshot went off into the air. Jack and Gwen jumped onto the stage and seized Prime Minster Pete Tyler by the arms. Jake squealed the tires as they sped around the majority of the crowds toward the stage. Everyone else had to jump out of the way. Jack and Gwen secured Pete Tyler while Martha closed the doors. Ricky ordered Jake to "step on it!" and they took off.

A few frantic minutes passed as they got to getaway van number two and changed vehicles, leaving the old one behind. "How'd we even manage to know about the surprise press conference?" asked Rory.

"We've got a government mole who feeds us information," Jack said as they hit a particularly rough bump in the road. "The Doctor's private files, his plans for total annihilation, et cetera, et cetera. Secret broadcasts twice a week. Clara's in charge of communications with the mole. She's the only one the mole trusts; don't know why. She's allowed her secrets, just like the rest of us."

"Broadcast from Gemini?" asked Pete Tyler, much to the surprise of everyone else in the van. They were startled, and then suspicious. The broadcasts were supposed to be secret; not known about by the Doctor's right hand man.

"And how do you know that?" Gwen interjected before Jack could punch the man unconscious until they reached headquarters.

The Prime Minister rolled his eyes. "I'm Gemini. That's me."

"Yeah, well, you would say that," Ricky called from the front of the van.

"Encrypted wavelength six-five-seven using binary nine. That's the only reason I was working for the Doctor; to get information. I thought I was broadcasting to Torchwood. What do I get? Scooby Doo and his gang. They've even got the van."

Amy couldn't help but give a snort at that response.

"No, no, no," Rory said. "They know what they're doing; Ricky said he's London's Most Wanted."

The black man in the front quickly said, "Yeah, that's not exactly..."

Martha laughed and Amy asked, "Not exactly what?"

"I'm London's Most Wanted for...parking tickets," he finished quietly. Everyone else laughed, except the newcomers, who were not amused. "They were deliberate! I was fighting the system! Park anywhere, that's me."

"Well, as long as you aren't murderers and rapists," Rory said sardonically, though feeling better about the situation in truth.

"So you're Gemini?" Martha said, situating herself directly across from Pete Tyler. He nodded, and she smiled. "Then our job just got a lot easier. We need to know where Rose Tyler and another man called the Doctor are being held."

"Rose Tyler?" Pete asked. Upon confirmation from Martha he laughed, "That's my dog's name."

"I don't think she'd appreciate that much, mate," Rory said, and Amy laughed.

"Not that I don't trust you or anything," Jack began, "but I'd rather bargain with the Doctor using you to get our friends back, instead of just breaking in to get them, possibly losing some of my team in the process." Pete agreed to being used as a pawn, and Jack continued, "But we need more information from you. Tell us everything you know that we could use to bring down the Doctor permanently."

"Well," Pete said, "he's not human."

"We know that, thanks," Martha said.

He looked at her. "He can't die either."

That threw her. "Okay, that's new."

"He changes bodies when he dies," Amy said, causing everyone to look at her. "Our Doctor is the same. He's a Time Lord. If you want to kill him-" (she thought of Lake Silencio) "-you've got to kill him again while he's regenerating. That stops the process and he can't save himself."

Rory took her shaking hand in his own. The thought of the Doctor's death was painful for them both, even if it wasn't really the Doctor who died. It had still seemed very real.

Pete looked wary. "I don't know if we should kill-"

Jack interrupted, "We don't have a choice. It's the planet or the Doctor. And as the head of Torchwood (may the organization rest in peace), I say we choose the planet. A dictator cannot be tolerated, even if the people don't realize what's happening."

Silence passed through the van. Amy squeezed Rory's hand. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Rose sat in the palace library, nervously twiddling her fingers while she waited for the Doctor to arrive. Not her Doctor, of course, but the one from this universe. She tried not to be afraid, but it was hard when he threatened to hurt her Doctor (not that he was _her_ Doctor, of course, he was River's Doctor, though Rose wasn't sure if he would want to be referred to as such).

Sunlight flooded the room, a fire in the grate heating the air. Rose had never been one for reading much unless it was one of her mum's trashy romance novels (which, somewhat unfortunately, taught her most of what she knew about love-look where that had gotten her), but she did love the smell of old books. This room seemed perfect. She made a mental note to find the library on the TARDIS, and spend ample time in there.

Footsteps approached from the marble hall outside and Rose fought the urge to look as the door opened and this universe's Doctor entered the spacious room. His footsteps were muffled by the thick carpet as he slowly walked towards the sofa where Rose waited.

Once he was standing in front of her, the Doctor asked, "May I sit?"

She didn't look at him, but shrugged.

Taking her motions as assent, he sat on the other edge and watched her. She tried not to shiver under his gaze, but Rose felt like he was edging his way under her skin. Realizing that he was probably sliding himself into her mind, she threw up a door like the Doctor told her to as quickly as she could, hoping that it would be effective. Her mind was suddenly freed, and the Doctor laughed.

"Weak barriers, but a good enough argument that I'll accept your request for privacy," the Doctor said, his voice light and merry. After a slight pause, he added, "Of course, you don't deserve it, but still-I will respect your personal space."

Rose said nothing, wishing he would just give up and leave. She thought she would try and figure out a way to get out of Buckingham Palace on her own to perhaps meet up with Amy and Rory, and then they _all_ could save the Doctor. Not this Doctor, of course, but their Doctor.

In response to her silence, this Doctor sighed, "So how are you today? I've never been better. _Well_, except for the fact that my prime minister was kidnapped, but I've been meaning to replace him for a while. I think he's been passing information along to the Preachers. You are being particularly quiet today, Rose Tyler."

"Why do you do this?" she asked softly, looking up to meet his eyes. "Who the hell have you turned into?"

He read the fury in her eyes and it gave him pause. "I am the the Last of the Time Lords. I do what I must to secure the legacy of my people."

"But you _killed_ them all."

"I did what I had to." His tone was harsh and unforgiving. Softening, he added, "It is my biggest regret."

That stopped Rose's hateful thoughts, and she began to consider the man sitting beside her. She altered her position slightly so that she was facing him, tucking one leg beneath her. "Then why don't you stop?"

"It isn't that simple, Rose Tyler," he said, and this was the kindest she'd ever heard him.

Rose thought of that Disney movie from her childhood, _Beauty and the Beast_. If it was possible for the Beast to change, maybe even this Doctor could too. He was horrible and mean and cruel, but there had to be some good within him. Wasn't that her weakness? Seeing good in everyone and believing in it? What did she have to lose by trying to help him?

"Have you ever met a Dalek?" he asked, and Rose shook her head. She'd heard the Doctor mention them with hatred in his voice, but she'd never come face to face with his oldest and fiercest enemy. "Consider yourself lucky. The only emotion they have is hate. Their purpose in life is to exterminate everything that is not Dalek. They were the sworn enemies of the Time Lords, bound to battle for all of time. They're gone too."

"Did you kill them?"

"Yes." For once, he looked remorseful, and Rose pitied him. "The sick part is that I enjoyed it."

When Rose was a child, she had classmates who used mirrors and magnifying glasses to burn insects. She could always imagine the bugs screaming as they got hotter and hotter until the sunlight killed them. Sometimes, she would fight with the boys and step on the bug to put it out of its misery. True, the boys would pick on her instead, but at least she could fight back.

Was that what happened to this Doctor? He did the _right _thing by killing all of his people?

"Don't be so hard on yourself," she said, looking into his brown eyes. There was so much age and time in his soul, and she could see it all. He looked so sad, and for a moment, Rose forgot where she was and who she was with. The Doctor's eyes flicked to her lips and back up and he inched closer to her.

Then his lips brushed hers, just barely touching. He pulled back to watch her expression, and Rose placed a hand on the side of his face, stroking her thumb along his cheekbone. His head ducked to press his lips to hers once more, but this time, the kiss was a little longer as he wrapped his arms around her to pull her close.

The Doctor moved her onto his lap, and Rose ran a hand through his gorgeous hair, feeling the bristle on his jaw. She gasped for breath as he moved his lips to her jaw, tracing that line until he reached her ear, moving down to her neck, pressing chaste kisses to her warm skin. He seemed much cooler than her, and he smelled like Time. Her pulse quickened as his lips dipped lower to her collarbone just before he brought his face back up to her own.

Rose pressed her lips to his again, and his tongue ran across her lip. He hardly waited for permission before sending his tongue to meet her own. His one hand tugged on her hair, while the other slowly drifted under her shirt, up and up until-He gently leaned her back so that she was pressed against the couch and he was on top of her.

It had been so long since she'd had a good snog, Rose realized. Mickey was a man, yes, and while he loved her, he was never this thorough with her. Nor was he as talented as this man. God, the Doctor certainly knew what to do with his-

Before Rose knew what was happening, she was shirtless, and his hand was doing well to inch its way back and up to the clasp of her bra. Just as he had his thumb under the fabric and his lips back on her neck, licking and sucking, the door flew open and a voice cried out, "The Prime Minister's been abducted!"

The Doctor pulled back suddenly and stood up. Rose's eyes widened as she covered herself up with one arm while searching around for her shirt. How the hell had this happened?

He didn't seem fazed at all as he strode out of the room without a second glance at Rose, closing the door loudly behind him. Pulling her shirt over her head, Rose stood and walked to the floor to ceiling windows lining the back wall. She squinted in the bright sunlight, watching the frantic people across the courtyard and outside the gates. They looked like ants. She was reminded of the boys who killed the insects, and wondered if the Doctor was angry.

The image of him stepping on a group of screaming people Godzilla-style formed in her mind.

But _damn_, that man knew how to snog. It ended up working out for her in the end. She bent over to reach behind the sofa cushion, pulling out her Doctor's sonic screwdriver. Rose smiled to herself and left the library.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the best way into the palace?" asked Ricky to Pete Tyler, who nodded emphatically. The hastily painted van used a service entrance with the guise of delivering the Doctor's dry-cleaning. Fortunately for them, Pete happened to have sent his own clothes out with the Doctor's, so he knew the service and when it would be delivered.

Once at the back, the team climbed out of the van. Ricky and Jack acted as guards with several weapons of their own, while Amy, Rory, and a heavily disguised Pete carried garment bags. If questioned, they would bluff their way out, and if confronted, Ricky and Jack would shoot-Han Solo style, as Amy liked to put it.

While they took out the Doctor and found Rose, the other team, comprised of Martha, Gwen, and Jake, would take the Tower of London and rescue the other Doctor. Ianto and Owen were sent to find the TARDIS and return it to headquarters in order for the visitors' safe departure. The three groups had ninety minutes to make it back to headquarters, or the others would come looking. Clara and Donna were monitoring all media outputs to keep each group connected, aided by the use of the earpieces.

They made it through the first security checkpoint with the help of some psychic paper Jack managed to get his hands on. From there, it would just be the occasional guard or servant they had to pass.

"Alright, the Doctor's gonna be in the library, his office, or the throne room," Pete said. "I'd say split up, but there's only five of us and I'd rather no one go on their own."

Jack nodded. "Where'll Rose be held?"

"Considering she's not really a threat to the Doctor," Pete said, "I'd say wherever he wanted her. There are guest quarters in the East Wing, but she could be with the Doctor right now."

Nodding brusquely once, Jack pointed, "We go to the Doctor's office first." They walked silently down the hall. Amy wished the rustle of the garment bags would be quieter. The noise felt deafeningly loud in the otherwise silent corridor.

Pete led the way, casually checking around corners to be sure they wouldn't run into anyone who would find their activity suspicious and might find it in his or her best interest to question them. Jack had his vortex manipulator at the ready in case of the need for a speedy exit. When questioned on it, Jack had told Amy and Rory that they were standard gear for time agents, but they couldn't remember their daughter having ever had such a career. Rory made a mental note to ask River about it the next time they saw her.

Only twice did they pass someone else, and both times were uneventful. Still, it didn't ease the nerves of those who were doing the sneaking around. _"Captain, we've got reliable intel that the Doctor is in his office."_

"Thanks, Oswald," Jack whispered, grinning at the others. They were just around the corner from his office. "It's go time." As they passed a dark brown double door, a faint buzzing could be heard, green light escaping out from under the crack.

"Hang on," Amy said, grabbing Rory's arm. "That sounds like the-" The door swung open and Rose stood there with the sonic in her hand, looking slightly disheveled. "-sonic."

Rose broke out into a grin. "Oh, thank God." She hugged Amy, then Rory, then turned to the group.

"This is Rose Tyler," Amy said.

Jack stepped forward with a coy grin settling on his face. "Hello, Miss Tyler. I'm Captain Jack Harkness." Rose blushed, and Ricky swatted his friend's stomach.

Rose's eyes flicked to Ricky and widened. She jumped on him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Not that I don't 'preciate the attention, swee'heart, but who the ruddy hell are you?" She took a step back.

"Ricky Smith," Amy explained, as if that made all the sense in the world. "How'd you get the Doctor's sonic. I thought that would've been taken from him."

Rose smiled. "Nicked it while the other Doctor wasn't paying attention." She looked around the rest of the group and saw the man who was the parallel version of her father. "Dad," she breathed. She threw her arms around him, and he hugged her awkwardly. No one had bothered to fill him in on this important point. It was uncomfortable, but he patted her back.

_"Captain, permission to hack the Tower's system with that binary code we just bought."_

"Granted," Jack said. He looked to the others, and then to the Doctor's office door. "Onward?" They nodded, and Jack took the lead. He hesitated, then kicked open the office door.

Rushing inside, the others jumped into the fray with the Doctor's guards. Jack and Ricky started shooting (apparently the American taught the Brit well), and Pete approached the Doctor at his desk. "I'm handing in my letter of resignation, sir."

The Doctor scowled. Mere seconds later, the guards had all dropped their weapons and were on their knees. Rose approached the Doctor warily. She couldn't help but feel as if she'd betrayed him. Rose grimaced. "I'm sorry."

He walked around his desk to stand in front of her. "I don't know if you've taught me the error of my ways, or I just understand what he sees in you."

"What does that mean?"

He looked at her sadly, and Rose wondered how this was the same man she'd danced and fought with only the night before. His voice was low so that only she could hear, "He thinks the only water in the forest is the river, and while that's true, roses grow too." His words confused Rose, but before she could ask what he meant, a shot rang out, and he pushed her aside.

Picking herself up from the ground, she accidentally placed her hand on something wet. The Doctor was bleeding. One of the Doctor's guards had a spare pistol and planned on using it to shoot Rose, or possible one of the others standing near her, but the Doctor knew it was going to happen just before it did.

Rose crawled over to the man lying on the ground. His dark blood was slowly spreading, staining the tan carpet. "Oh my God," she said, trying to think of something she might have learned in school. No one else moved to help. No one else had seen the good in him. "I know about regeneration. You can do this, I know you can."

He shook his head, wincing in pain. "I-I'm not going to."

She didn't understand. He had a chance to start over. "I don't understand-please-"

He met her eyes. "I hate myself, this monster I've become. I won't give myself another chance to ruin the universe. Thank you for showing me myself. I'm choosing not to regenerate."

"No," Rose argued, tears coming to her eyes. "Please, this isn't fair-I can help you. Please-"

The Doctor shook his head as best he could. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Forgive me." And then his eyes closed.

* * *

For the Doctor and Amy and Rory, the goodbyes took much longer than for Rose. She gave a few quick hugs, then headed into the TARDIS without a backwards glance. If she ever saw this universe again, it would be too soon. That trip had been utter hell. The seventh circle of Dante's Inferno was only dropping ice cream in this universe. Her eyes felt raw and her heart felt shredded.

But she hardly knew that man. Yet no one had ever really died in front of her before, not really. Rose absentmindedly walked down the steps below the console and sat in the swing the Doctor used to make repairs.

After a while, the others came in and the Doctor set them straight into the Vortex. It took all of the ship's power, but they managed to land on a tiny moon so that the Doctor could make repairs. From what Rose could hear, they still didn't know what took over the TARDIS and caused them to land in the parallel universe in the first place, but at least they were back now.

She considered calling her mother, but since she didn't know that Rose was gallivanting off in the universe in the first place, how could she explain something like this?

Rose sighed and heard the TARDIS doors open and close once more. A gentle singing filled Rose's ears, even inside her head it seemed (but comfortable, not like before when _he_ had made it painful). The golden music lulled her to sleep.

A sharp poke in her shoulder woke Rose. She immediately went into defense mode (she wasn't born and raised on a council estate for nothing) before realizing it was just the Doctor-her Doctor, not the other one. Not that he was _her_ Doctor, of course, but enough about that.

"Sorry," he said quickly, putting his hands up in the air. Rose had told him and the others enough stories about the infamous Jackie Tyler Slap that he grew nervous anytime she raised a hand around him. After a moment, the Doctor added, "Are you alright?"

At first, Rose began to nod, but then she shook her head. Tears pricked at her eyes once more, and then Rose shook and rambled, "He just _died_, right in front of me! There was nothin' I could do, an' I thought I was gonna die, an' I was scared an' we snogged-" but then her words began to run together so that the Doctor could not decipher what she was saying.

If only River were here. He was rubbish around crying women.

The Doctor gingerly wrapped his arms around her and she grabbed hold of his lapels, crying into his shirt. He patted her back awkwardly until she calmed down several minutes later. When she was no longer trying to speak, he peeled her off him and used his thumbs to wipe away her tears.

He was good with sad children. He had enough experience with his own children and grandchildren, not to mention the innumerable scores of children the universe had chucked at him and demanded he help.

"Rose," he said softly, and his green eyes met hers, very brown and very wet. "Amy and Rory went to get some sleep. You should too. You'll feel much better, and then we can fix this in the morning."

She nodded, and he knew she was already falling asleep. Ever so carefully, the Doctor scooped the tiny human into his arms and carried her like a baby to her room. The TARDIS was kind enough to relocate her room so that it was just down the hall from the console room. She opened the door for him so that he could carry Rose into the room and place her carefully on the bed.

Rose was out like a light. The Doctor took off her shoes and pulled the quilt from the edge of the bed to spread it out on top of her. When he had finished tucking her in, he watched her chest rise and fall with her gentle breathing. The TARDIS poked at his mind, and he understood that she wanted him to leave the human girl alone to rest.

Humans never ceased to amaze him. They found light in the darkness and never gave up. This particular human had turned a lost man into a repentant one, if what Amy and Rory said was true. There was something special about Rose Tyler, and he was glad that she was here.

* * *

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	9. Through the Looking Glass

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* * *

_Chapter VIII - Through the Looking Glass_

All Rose could see was white. White walls surrounding a white floor, topped with a white ceiling. Nothingness abounded; this was textbook nothing. When describing the word 'empty', Rose would picture this room.

But was a room a room if the walls were infinite on two sides so that one was directly in front of you and the other was an eternity away? Or was that just nothing? And what was 'nothing'? Her brain started to hurt.

Each step Rose took echoed and echoed and echoed for eternity, because there was nothing to absorb the sound. The sounds of her breathing seemed as loud as a timpani playing fortissimo, and the rustle of her clothes filled in the rest of the orchestra. But this was normal, wasn't it?

She had always been here. Except for before. But before what? Rose didn't know. Thinking made her head hurt, so she made the decision not to think. And still, her mind pounded. Raising a hand to her head, Rose slowly sank to the ground and closed her eyes. Even the darkness behind her eyelids seemed white now.

There was a sound like the _ding!_ of a lift. Rose's eyes flipped open and a large magnifying glass was sitting on a table in front of her. She stood, but didn't have far to go because she had been sitting in a chair. Since when? Rose distinctly remembered sitting on the ground. Or had she sat in a chair? She'd been sitting forever it seemed. And that table and clear looking glass had been there forever too.

"Rose?" a voice asked, loud and clear. Rose looked around but saw no one. She approached the table again, having walked away, and inspected the gold frame holding the glass. The voice seemed to be coming from there. "Rose?"

She thought she saw something black flick by, so she moved to be directly in front of the glass. Just a second later, the Doctor's face appeared. He smiled at her, and she asked, "Doctor, where are you?" It seemed impossible, but Rose felt as if she'd forgotten the Doctor until just now. It felt like she had been alone in this room since the beginning of time.

"I'm just in the room next door," he said, and his voice sounded like he was standing right in front of her, not in a completely different room. Almost as if he could hear her thoughts, the Doctor said, "It's a different dimension, really. Well, sort of. Actually, not really at all. Anyway-" He held up the sonic screwdriver and started fiddling with the looking glass on his end.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Rose was happy here, wasn't she? It was quiet and peaceful and she'd always been here.

The expression on his face could have meant that he thought she was stupid. "I've got to boost the signal from in here. I've got Amy and Rory's rooms wired through my looking glass so that everything will project throughout our rooms. It's our only chance of getting out."

"Out of where?" Rose asked, pulling the chair in front of the glass so she could sit. She folded her arms, then thought better of it, tugging on a strand of hair instead. When that got dull and the Doctor didn't answer, she started braiding her hair until it was in a long plait down her back-better for running, but why did that seem to be a necessity?

Only a second after she'd asked the question-or had it been longer?-the Doctor answered, "I don't know. Rory thought it might be Apalapucia, but Amy disagreed. She said this place wasn't distorted enough to be Apalapucia. I think it looks like Cloud Nine, the rehabilitation center on Clom, not the figure of speech, but this is too _boring_ to be a rehab center."

Rose snorted. "I dunno abou' that. My mate Shireen told me rehab was awful."

The Doctor deadpanned. "That's human rehab on Earth. I can't think of anything more awful than spending my time in a place like that." He paused, "Well, actually I can, starting with-"

Faintly, Rose heard Amy's voice in the distance. "Doctor, can we get back to the whole saving us thing? This place gives me the creeps."

Rose took another look around the room while the Doctor started rambling in techno-babble. Most of the time, it was best to just let him finish whatever he wanted to talk about. One of the others was probably listening, and he would just give them specific instructions if it was important.

This place really was strange. It was so plain, so vast, yet so small. Rose could almost hear whispers in the back of her mind, tickling her senses. Maybe those were the previous victims of this place, forever trapped in the walls to haunt future guests for all eternity.

Rose shook her head. She needed to stop watching so much telly late at night.

_Ding!_ A silver door in the wall appeared, slowly sliding apart like the door on a lift. (Is that what this place could be? Some sort of futuristic elevator room? That sounded like something straight off _The Twilight Zone_.) Two robots hovered into the room. They were white metallic ovals, like Eve from _Wall-E_, Rose thought, but they had arms with a hand, like a human.

They made some beeping noises, then a blue light flashed out from floor to ceiling, scanning Rose. "Uh, Doctor?" she said nervously as the robots beeped some more.

"In a minute, Rose," he said, and there was more whirring of the sonic screwdriver.

Something told Rose that these alien creatures weren't going to be so friendly. They moved nearer to her and their hands receded into their arm before reappearing as an electric saw. The beeping grew louder and more determined as they drew nearer, their metal arms powering up to life.

"Doctor!" Rose screamed, backing up until she hit the table with the looking glass. Squeezing her eyes shut so she wouldn't have to see her own blood spill into the whiteness of the room, Rose braced herself against the table, biting her lip. And just as it seemed that the robots couldn't get any closer, the whirring of the screwdriver got higher in pitch and had a more rapid pace.

A hand took hold of Rose's arm and pulled her back. A strange tingling sensation overcame Rose as she tumbled back and rolled head first off the other side of the table. More buzzing from the sonic, and Rose looked up. She was in the room with the Doctor. The robots looked like they were about to pass through the portal as well, but it shimmered and hardened back into solid glass.

Rose was breathing heavily as she accepted the Doctor's hand to pull her to her feet. "What the hell was that?" she asked, tapping the glass with her index finger. In the blink of an eye, the unfriendly robots were gone and she was poking an image of Rory's face.

Impatiently brushing her out of the way, the Doctor starting sonic-ing the magnifying glass again. "Unfriendly robots."

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms and leaning against the table. Looking casual on the outside seemed a good disguise for the confusion Rose felt inside. "Seeing as I was the one who faced 'em, I'd say, yeah. They were pretty unfriendly blokes."

Rory snorted and said, "At least they weren't trying to do you a kindness." But there was a weight in his tone that didn't go amiss to the Doctor. After that one comment, Rory grew extremely quiet and picked at his nails.

The Doctor sighed. Rose felt that she was missing out on something, but didn't press for information. The glass shimmered like a waterfall, and the Doctor stuck his hand through. Rory took hold, and with a little bit of maneuvering, the Doctor pulled Rory into the room. He smiled uncertainly at Rose.

More sonic-ing, and then the Doctor had Amy on the screen. He frowned and messed with the sonic screwdriver's frequencies, and an image of an older looking Amy flashed up. Her fingers pressed against the glass. "Rory?" older Amy asked.

Rose took a step back. How had Amy aged so much in seconds? She looked to the Doctor, hoping his face would give her answers, but he revealed nothing but concern for Rory, the human man stepping up to the glass.

His voice wavered as he said, "I can't do this again," but to whom he was speaking, it was unclear. He pressed his hand against the image of Amy's wrinkled skin, and closed his eyes. Rory knew he wouldn't make it through this if he had to choose again. "Let me see my wife," he demanded.

Rose had heard the stories of the Last Centurion from Amy and the Doctor with an occasional comment thrown in by Rory himself, but Rose had never seen it for herself until just then. If he had truly commanded a Roman Legion, Rose pitied the poor brutes who had crossed into his way.

The Doctor kept his face neutral as he switched images so that Amy was showing once more. Rory breathed heavily and whispered, "I love you."

Amy's eyes flicked to the Doctor's and back to her husband's before she returned the sentiment, albeit less emphatically. "What just happened?" she asked as the Doctor pulled her through into this room.

Rory wrapped his arms around Amy so tight that she thought she might suffocate, but she still managed to look to her best friend for an answer. He shrugged, "Thirty-six years."

A knowing look passed over Amy's face before she quickly kissed her husband. Rose tried to give them privacy, deciding to see if she could help the Doctor. "So what is this place?" asked Rose.

"Still don't know," the Doctor said as he flipped through several different rooms. "This place seems like Apalapucia, but it's not. And before you ask, Apalapucia is a hospital that we got stuck in. If we were there, I'd be dead."

"Oh," Rose said plainly. "Well, I guess it's a good thing we're here instead."

After flipping through what felt like hundreds of views, the Doctor finally spied the familiar blue box. "Got her!" he shouted a little louder than necessary, immediately raising the sonic screwdriver to work its magic (which wasn't really magic at all to be honest-just clever Time Lord science).

The Doctor helped Amy through first, followed by Rory. It seemed to be easier the second time around. When Rose climbed through the ring, she thought it seemed a lot less of a challenge, but maybe it was just because-this time-she wasn't being pulled backwards while trying to keep from being hacked to pieces. The Doctor himself came through last, sealing the gateway behind him.

He dug through the bottomless pockets of his tweed jacket for the TARDIS key, whistling what sounded suspiciously like "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah". Amy hummed along and Rose tried not to giggle. Trust the Doctor to come up with a random song like that in the most unlikely time.

_Ding!_ Just like before, a previously unseen door in the wall slid open and two robots came in. Rose gasped and Amy screamed. At first, it looked like Rory was going to jump behind Amy, but changed his mind to shield her instead. In the end, he ended up bumping her over so that she fell into Rose.

The Doctor still fumbled for his key with one hand while holding the sonic up like a sword with the other. "I can destroy you!" he said loudly, though it was clear that his hearts were not in the threat. "One press of this button, and the green light of death will cause your circuits to just stop automatically!"

Under her breath, Amy huffed, "Thank you Lord Voldemort." While the Doctor tried to act all high and mighty like the warrior he thought he was (and could sometimes be), Amy fished the chain out from around her neck and inserted the TARDIS key into the lock. "Come on!" she said impatiently.

They followed her into the TARDIS blindly. For once, the ship had her lights off in the console room which was, in itself, odd, not to mention the emergency lights that should have been on anyway.

The Doctor slammed the door shut behind him and locked it firmly. "Hello, old girl!" he shouted, throwing his hands into the air. The lights did not automatically come on, as they all had expected to happen. Everything was still pitch black and the air did not feel like the TARDIS air. Maybe this was some sort of defense mechanism or an effect of wherever they had been?

Walking straight ahead the exact number of steps to where the console _should_ have been, the Doctor was two steps away from his destination when he hit the wall, and then the floor.

The thud caused was enough to cause a commotion off in the distance. It was still too dark to see anything. Rose squinted in the darkness, trying to force her eyes to adjust more quickly. All too soon, activity started in the opposite end of the room and the bright fluorescent lights were turned on.

The hum of the lights buzzed in Rose's ears, and she now squinted, not to adjust to the dark, but to adjust to the brightness of the room. Figures dressed in black formed a barricade against the door, stark against the whiteness of the walls and floor. If Rose didn't know better, she would say she was still in the room they had been in before.

But this wasn't the TARDIS, nor was the police box anywhere in sight. They had passed through the door of the blue box and into a different world with different people-humans by the looks of it.

"Put your hands up!" a stern voice commanded, and the four intruders did so, the Doctor hastily pocketing his screwdriver.

At least twelve guns were trained on them, with more filing into the room. The click of high heels accompanied a woman running into the room. She stared at them briefly, then smiled and started clapping her hands. "Oh, how marvelous! It's so wonderful that you're finally here, Doctor!"

Amy and the Doctor exchanged a brief look. The Time Lord took a step forward and gave a wary smile. "Yes, brilliant!" He clapped his hands together and his wary smile grew more confident. "But, um, where is here?"

"It was only a matter of time until you found us," the woman said, spreading her arms wide, "and at last you've made it. I'd like to welcome you, Doctor. Welcome to Torchwood," she beamed.

Some of the Doctor's confidence faded. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the sonic screwdriver, waving it in the air like a magic wand. Reading the results, he said, "You've got alien technology here."

Rose smiled to herself and muttered, "Finally, a professional."

"Why do you have alien technology here? We're on twenty-first century Earth."

Amy and Rory looked at each other. There hadn't been very many real alien attacks in their lifetime. Then again, many hoaxes did seem to have a ring of truth around them now that they'd been traveling with the Doctor for some time. The aliens on that rock in the sky several years before, the stars going out for the first time, the other planets...Amy made a mental note to ask the Doctor about it later.

Not answering the Doctor's question, the woman approached the Doctor and adamantly shook his hand. "Yvonne Hartman, director of the Torchwood Institute. And as pattern serves, you have companions! It's so lucky that your ship appeared a few minutes ago. We would've found you, even if you didn't make a big ruckus."

Cross, the Doctor huffed, "I only hit the wall."

"Walk with me," Yvonne said. They followed her out of the room and into a confusing set of hallways. The armed guards dispersed, but several trailed after the group. "So your names are..."

The Doctor didn't give any of his friends the chance to answer for themselves. "These are my colleagues. Names aren't important, just need to call them by their nicknames: the Legs, the Nose, and the Blonde." Amy self-consciously tugged down the hem of her very short (and, in Rory's words, very sexy) skirt. "And you still haven't given me an answer. Why so much alien technology in one human building?"

Yvonne smiled. "The motto of the Torchwood Institute, of course. If it's alien-"

"-it's ours," the Doctor finished in tandem, looking grim. "Any chance you have an employee named Jack Harkness?"

She shook her head. "Time travel is confusing. If we ever hire a man by that name, I'll give him your greetings. We've been having problems with the occasional alien invasion lately. It will be wonderful to have your input on how to fight Daleks and Cybermen. We have a bit of an infestation."

"An infestation?" the Doctor said loudly. Clearly the subject worried him. They continued walking, but Amy dragged behind, looking at something through a glass window. More apprehensive than usual, the Doctor hardly looked back before calling, "Come along, Pond."

Amy seemed reluctant to do so, but followed her friend's orders. Rory gave her a concerned glance, and she whispered, "Something weird's going on here."

"How did we even get here?" he responded. His wife shrugged, picking at her bottom lip with a painted fingernail. "Does anything feel _off_ to either of you?"

Rose nodded. "It doesn't feel real. Almost like I could walk through a wall or somethin'."

"Don't try it," Amy warned.

"Wasn't gonna."

The Doctor's attention was grabbed by a piece of paper as they passed a bulletin board. The cork board was covered with colorful pamphlets and flyers advertising guitar lessons, the need for a flatmate, company dinner rescheduled, et cetera. One plain sheet of white paper stood out. It was blank, save for two words: BAD WOLF.

Yanking it off the board, the Doctor turned to his friends. "Have you seen this before?"

They all stared at it for a moment before Rory said, "Yeah. Can't remember where, but it sounds familiar."

Amy and Rose nodded. "Wha'sit mean?" asked Rose, feeling a strange sense of deja vu and the urge to walk straight through a wall to prove that she could.

"Two words," the Doctor said, staring down at the paper in his hands, "following us to different times, different planets, different worlds."

"How can words follow us, Doctor?" Amy spoke up, crossing her arms.

He looked at Rose for a long moment before crumpling up the paper and tossing it behind him. "Must just be a coincidence," he said, smiling. Giving his attention back to Yvonne Hartman, the Doctor launched into conversation with her once more.

Rose wasn't so sure. Those two words seemed so familiar in a scary way. She shook it off, focusing on the task at hand. "Doctor," she said, reaching out to grab his arm. To her surprise, he took her hand and kept walking. Her face grew slightly warm and her stomach grew empty (a sudden reminder to call Mickey as soon as she could). "Does it feel strange here t'you?"

"It feels strange to me everywhere, Rose," the Doctor said in one of those rare moments where he took down the goofy armor. "But I understand what you mean. Something is different here. I could sense it back in wherever we were before-Apalapucia, we'll call it. But it's much stronger here."

"I feel like I should walk through a wall or somethin'."

He laughed. "I wouldn't try that, Rose Tyler. Walking into walls hurts. I think I've bruised my head," he said, reaching up to press a hand to his face.

Rose giggled and squeezed his hand. It was nice, holding his hand. Felt much better than Mickey's ever did. But what was she thinking? Yes, she was away from Mickey but that didn't give her a free pass to do whatever (or whoever) she wanted. Guilt tugged at Rose's mind, but she didn't let go of the Doctor's hand, instead swinging it in some sort of solidarity against her mind.

"And here we are," Yvonne said, waving them into a room with a glass divide separating the foyer from the work space. There were two levers on opposite walls and several silver supports from the floor to the corner of the wall and the ceiling, though they looked more functional to the aesthetics of the room than the actual functionality. "The ghost shift room."

"Ghost shift?" Amy questioned, looking nervously at the Doctor and Rose's joined hands.

"Yes," Yvonne smiled. "Ghosts: the stuff of nightmares."

"I wouldn't say that," the Doctor said, dropping Rose's hand so he could approach the far wall. He pressed his hand to it, dancing his fingers across the drywall, occasionally dipping his head to listen through the blank expanse. "Do you remember that crack in your bedroom wall, Amelia?"

"Course I do," Amy said, walking over to the Doctor. Rory and Rose followed, anxious about where this was going. "Is there another crack here? More space and time that shouldn't have touched? I thought we closed them all."

The Doctor listened through the wall again. "No. But Rose was right. Well, not that you could walk through the walls, but that these walls aren't real. Oh, they're physical, but they're the walls of reality. As hard as we tried, we could never escape here. It's a labyrinth with several levels, like a game."

"We're in a game?" Rory asked.

"No."

Rose bit her lip. "But how did we get here?"

The Doctor stood directly in front of Rose, raising his hands to the sides of her head. She placed on hand on top of his out of instinct, breathing growing a bit quicker. "Exactly," the Doctor said, not looking away from Rose's eyes. His own were flicking back and forth between hers, as if trying to read a book through her mind. She didn't feel him moving into her mind though, which was nice. "How did we get here?"

Breaking away, the Doctor moved to the center of the room, spinning in circles and looking in all different directions. "How did we get _here_?"

"We walked," Rory answered. "We were in that other room, and we walked here. Amy stopped, we looked at a notice board, then we came here."

"How did we get _there_?"

"We were in the TARDIS-" Amy started, interrupted by the Doctor's tutting.

"No, we never reached the TARDIS. Where we before that?"

Rose closed her eyes, struggling to remember. It was white, glassy... _Through the looking glass_, she thought. Aloud, she repeated, "Through the looking glass."

"Bingo!" the Doctor exclaimed, pointing enthusiastically at her. Rose didn't feel so confident in her win. "_Alice in Wonderland_, a book about a girl who falls through a rabbit hole and into another world."

Amy looked at him like he'd suggested they go jump off a building for the hell of it. "You're saying we fell into a rabbit hole?"

"No," he laughed, bouncing up and down. "We fell into a dream-well, several dreams by the look of it. So where is reality?"

"You mean the dream lord's back?" Rory asked.

"I mean that we're in a dream-someone's dream."

"Oh, so close, Doctor," Yvonne said, her tone growing mean and calculating. "Ghost shift-the stuff of _nightmares_."

Realization crossed the Doctor's face. "We're in nightmares, our own nightmares. False realities that could have happened, could still happen, but concocted by our own minds."

"So we're asleep?"

He didn't pay attention to Rory's question, his mind racing faster than the speed of light to put the pieces together. "If we're in a nightmare, whose is it? And why, and how? We've gone through the first level and now we're in the second, but how many more? At least two-that had to be Rory's, not sure about this. And if we die-" He stopped.

"What do you mean 'if we die'?" Rose asked worriedly. This seemed like something out of a film.

"When you die in a dream, you wake up," the Doctor said. "So if we die here, we'll wake up into the next level. In the world before, Apalapucia, we barely made it into the TARDIS-we were probably all infected, I don't know. But now we've got to figure out how to jump to the next level without killing ourselves in reality."

"How do we know which is reality?"

A little too quickly, the Doctor said, "We don't." They all stared at each other uncomfortably before the Doctor jumped back in. "Rory, you had to face old Amy again-" ("Oi!") "-Sorry, Amy, which was your worst nightmare. The Two Streams Facility was a terrible day for you, right? So that was your level. I don't understand why, but we've made it through. So whose is this?"

_I made my choice a long time ago, an' I'm never gonna leave you_, a voice whispered in Rose's mind. Before she realized what she was saying, Rose spoke, "I think it's mine. You said it could be other possibilities, yeah? I think this one's mine."

Images of a similar room with a different man-the Doctor from the other universe-flitted through her mind. Metal creatures flying through the air and into another dimension. Holding onto a clamp for dear life because she's covered in Void stuff. The ghosts of a scream resound through her ears.

Tears came to Rose's eyes and she quickly blinked them away. What did all of this mean?

"Systems online," a mechanical voice said as a crack in the wall appeared, widening until the entire wall was made up of nothingness.

"The Void," the Doctor said suddenly, looking for Yvonne. Every member of the Torchwood team was gone. Two magnaclamps were mounted on the wall. If they had been there before, they had gone unnoticed. If not, well, this was a dream, and anything could happen. "Hold on!"

What had started out as a gentle breeze began to grow into stronger winds, drawing them to the Void. Amy and Rory crossed to the magnaclamp on the left wall, wrapping their arms around it so that they wouldn't be sucked away.

Rose and the Doctor linked their arms through the large, black clamp. The metal aliens Rose had seen in her mind began to blow by. "Daleks!" the Doctor shouted over the hurricane winds. "And Cybermen! We've got to _hold on_!"

They were all being pulled toward the Void, toward certain death. "Systems offline," the mechanical voice said. The lever on the Doctor and Rose's side of the room was slipping toward the Void. Rose was closer to it, the only one who was able to fix it.

"No, Rose don't!" the Doctor argued, but it didn't matter. He grabbed her hand to keep it more securely on the clamp as she reached toward the lever with the other. Rose tried pulling it back up toward her, but it was just out of reach. She couldn't get a good enough grip on it.

Rose looked back at the Doctor and worked his hand off of the clamp and grabbed it with her own. The length of his arm would be enough for her to move the lever back in place.

"Systems online."

It didn't cross Rose's mind that only having one arm on the clamp would take a toll on the Doctor's strength as well. As Rose was being pulled toward the Void, the Doctor was struggling to keep hold of her hand. It was too difficult to pull her back toward the clamp, so he had to make sure not to let go.

The rush of the wind was deafening, but it seemed to be letting up the slightest bit, a very gradual process. Amy and Rory were screaming, but it was hardly audible over the gale.

"Rose, just hold on!" the Doctor shouted, and it seemed like the amount of concern in his eyes was incorrect. If River were in this position, Rose would understand how scared he looked, but Rose was not River. She had never seen the Doctor look so _frightened_ for her before. "Don't let go!"

But while the winds were letting up, they were still too strong. Rose felt herself slipping, her grip loosening. And then, just when she thought she could hold on no longer, the wind ripped Rose away from the Doctor.

* * *

**Please review! I want to know what you like and dislike, what you want to see (I'm flexible and can work some things in). I hope you enjoyed!**

**Next week: The Raggedy Man's Goodbye**


	10. The Raggedy Man's Goodbye

**Somewhat difficult to write; hope you enjoy!**

* * *

_Chapter IX - The Raggedy Man's Goodbye_

Rose jerked awake, that sensation of falling pulling her out of her dreams. She looked around the small room, breathing heavily. The curtains were pulled together, but she could tell that it was dark outside. Rose knew the feeling of a city, having grown up in one, yet she knew this wasn't London. At least, not London from her time.

Voices in the hall caught Rose's attention. "Rory!" a familiar voice shouted. Rose stood up quickly, knocking a book off the arm of the chair she woke up in. It was then that Rose realized she wasn't alone in the room. The giveaway was a moan from the bed that Rose hadn't seen before.

Her eyes having adjusted, Rose looked around the room again. It was strange how there was a little cherub statue on the nightstand. Did most people have those in their homes?

The door slammed against the wall, and the room was filled with light from the corridor. Amy moved into the doorway, and Rose was about to say something but the Doctor's voice stopped her. "Get out of here! Don't look at anything; don't touch anything-"

"Who's that?" Amy asked, staring at the man in the bed. She looked to Rose for an answer, as if she'd known the blonde was there the whole time.

The old man in the bed leaned up on some pillows, holding his hand out to her. Rose was reminded of something from a sappy romance book. "Amy. Amy, please. Amy, please. _Please_."

Amy took a step closer to the old man in the bed. "Rory?" she said, calling out for her husband. "He's you."

He took a breath, "Amy." But then he was still.

Rory and the Doctor crowded into the small room. "Will someone please tell me what is going on?"

"I'm sorry, Rory," the Doctor said solemnly, "but you just died."

"What the hell?" Rose's sudden outburst caught no one by surprise. Rather, it seemed like the other three had known she was here all along. And hadn't she been? Where had they been? Her memory was jumbled into an outline of fuzzy images floating around in no particular order.

"This place is policed by Angels," the Doctor said, as if that made all the sense in the world. Every time you try to escape, you get zapped back in time."

"So this place belongs to the Angels? They built it?" Amy asked.

None of this made sense to Rose. "What angels?" Her mind thought of the cherub on the bedside table. She looked over to it, but it was gone. Thinking that she must have imagined it, Rose looked to the Doctor."

"Weeping Angels," the Doctor said quickly, obviously running low on the time needed for a decent explanation. "Stone creatures until you blink, incredibly fast, zap you back in time, let you live to death, wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff." To Amy, Rory, and (Rose could now see) River, he continued, "Displacing someone back in time creates time energy, and that is what the Angels feed on. But normally, it's a one-off, a hit and run. If they could keep hold of their victims, feed off their time energy over and over again. This place is a farm, a battery farm. How many Angels in New York?"

River looked at her futuristic-looking mobile phone which wasn't really a phone at all (or maybe that was a feature). "It's like they've taken over every statue in the city."

"The Angels take Manhattan because they can," the Doctor said, his expression grim, "because they've never had a food source like this one. The city that never sleeps."

Loud, heavy thuds echoed in the distance. Surprisingly calm for someone who had just seen his future self die, Rory asked, "What was that?"

"I don't know," the Doctor said, not lying. "But I think they're coming for you."

"What does that mean? What's going to happen to me? Why is _physically_ going to happen?"

"The Angels will come for you. They'll zap you back in time to this very spot, thirty, forty years ago. And you'll live out the rest of your life in this room, until you die in that bed."

"And will Amy be there?"

"No."

"How do you know?" Amy asked.

The Doctor gave his best friend a sad look. The truth would hurt; it always did. "Because he was so pleased to see you again."

Rory worked his mind quickly to formulate a plan. "Okay. Well, they haven't taken me yet. What if I just run? What if I just got the hell out of here? Then _that_ never happens."

The Doctor refrained from letting his frustration show on his face. It would only stress out his friends. "It's already happened. Rory, you've just witnessed your own future."

"Doctor," River said, "he's right."

"No, he isn't," the Doctor argued.

River didn't let him go on about how she was wrong because she wasn't. "If Rory got out, it would create a paradox."

The thuds slowly grew louder and seemed to rumble, but not in a thunderous sort of way. "What is that?" Amy asked, her eyes shifting to the window.

River ignored her mother. "This is the Angels' food source. The paradox poisons the well. It could kill them all. This place would _literally_ unhappen."

The Doctor wasn't ready to play this game. "It would be almost impossible."

She nearly smiled. "Loving the almost."

"But to create a paradox like that takes almost unimaginable power," the Doctor said. "What have we got, eh? Tell me. Come on, what?"

Amy stepped up and took her husband's hand. "I won't let them take him. _That's_ what we've got."

Rory glanced to the window. "Whatever that thing is, it's getting closer."

The Doctor focused on the problem at hand. Sometimes his Pond's determination was frustrating to the point of nearly making him regenerate. "Rory, even if you got out, you'd have to keep running for the rest of your life. They would be chasing you forever."

Amy walked to the flat door and pulled it open. Rose gasped. A full-size statue of an Angel stood outside in the hall. Unfazed, Amy directed, "Husband, run." He ducked out, and Amy followed, knowing that they needed to get out as quickly as possible in order for this to work.

The lights flickered, and Rose felt the fear start to creep up on her. As if he'd sensed it, the Doctor took her hands in his. Holding them tight, he looked in her eyes and firmly pressed, "Rose, the Weeping Angels _will_ kill you. Try to stay between River and me, and blink as little as you can. Don't look into their eyes, and don't blink." Straightening up, the Doctor turned to his wife. "River, I'm not sure this can work."

She rolled her eyes and helped Rose past the Angel blocking the door. "Husband," River said, "shut up."

There were Angels everywhere. Amy and Rory moved as quickly as they could, keeping their eyes in as many places as was possible. Going down the stairs wasn't an option, so they were forced up to the roof.

The autumn air was crisp and chilly, with a biting wind cutting through the streets and alleys between buildings. The stars overhead were nearly invisible due to the lights of New York City, but the large sign reading 'Winter Quay' only accentuated the enormity of the entity behind it.

"I always wanted to see the Statue of Liberty," Rory choked. "I guess she got impatient." He suddenly turned and sprinted to the opposite end of the roof, where a brick wall separated the roof from the several story drop to the ground.

"What are you doing?" asked Amy.

"Just keep your eyes on that," Rory said, estimating the height of the wall and trying to determine the best way to do this.

Without looking away from the Statue of Liberty, Amy called, "Is there a way down?"

Rory's head spun looking at the distance from up here to the ground. "Er, no. But there's a way out."

Amy whipped around and saw Rory standing on the ledge, waving in the wind. "Rory, stop it," she shouted, running over to him. Damn Lady Liberty. "You'll die!"

"Yeah," Rory said, "twice. In the same building, on the same night. Who else could do that?"

"Just come down," Amy begged, "please!"

Rory shook his head and argued, "This is the right thing to do. If I die now, it's a paradox, right? The paradox kills the Angels. Tell me I'm wrong. Go on, please, because I'm really scared." His wife was silent, and Rory was afraid to look at her. "Oh, great. The one time you can't manage it. Amy, I'm going to need a little help here."

Turning to face her as best he could, Rory took his wife's hand and placed it against his chest. She had to be the one to do it. To him, for him; same thing really. "Just stop it!" she fought.

"Just think it through. This will work, this will kill the Angels."

"It'll kill you, too!"

"Will it?" Rory argued. "River said that this place could be erased from time, never existed. If this place never existed, what did I fall off?"

"You think you'll come back to life?"

He gave a bitter laugh. "When don't I?"

"Rory-"

"And anyway, what else is there? Dying of old age downstairs, never seeing you again? Amy, please. If you love me, then trust me, and push."

"I can't."

"You have to."

"Could you?" Amy demanded, tears threatening to fall. "If it was me, could you do it?"

Rory let there be a moment of emptiness before he softly said, "To save you, I could do anything."

And that made all the difference. Ever so carefully, Amy climbed up onto the ledge next to Rory, praying that the wind wouldn't blow them both over until it was time. "Prove it."

"No, I can't take you too-"

"You said we'd come back to life."

"Amy, look-"

"Shut up," she said. "Together, or not at all."

A scuffle arose from the stairwell door. The Doctor had arrived with River and Rose. He saw his two best friends on the ledge and shouted, "What the hell are you doing?"

Amy didn't look away from Rory as she said, "This is my nightmare, Doctor. So I'm changing the future. It's called marriage."

And together, the two let go of inhibition and fell off the side of the building. Wind rushed past them, wrapped tightly in each others' arms.

The Doctor screamed after them, but the lights flickered and burst. Energy crackled, and River gripped her husband's arm. "Doctor! What's happening?"

He took River's hand in his, then grabbed Rose's wrist with his other free hand. "The paradox-it's working! The paradox is working!"

Rose waited for the sickeningly inevitable crunch below, but it never came. A ringing filled her ears and the energy brightened until it was an unbearable white. She closed her eyes, and waited for this to pass. The dreams were getting progressively worse. What terrors could the next bring?

And then the light faded to darkness. The Doctor's grip disappeared from her arm, and there was silence. Rose opened her eyes and looked around frantically. She was alone.

Rose stood in a seemingly infinite hallway with doors on each wall for as far as she could see. What was this place? "Hello?" she called. There wasn't even the comfort of an echo, much less an actual answer.

The Doctor was the only one who hadn't had a nightmare yet, so this had to be it. Was he afraid of hallways? An abstract answer could have been that he was afraid of eternity, but he was a Time Lord; eternity was home.

Rose chose a door at random and turned the knob.

* * *

The Doctor awoke to the sound of the computer saying, "Auto-destruct in two minutes." He looked around to place himself, but he didn't understand. Professor River Song was sitting looking at a screen and at her wrist and doing things with wires that he struggled to comprehend. Why would she feel the need to attack him and render him unconscious?

But then everything clicked into place, and the Doctor knew he would have to relive his worst nightmare again: watching his wife die in the Library.

The Doctor had been unconscious for approximately seven minutes, but his mind was still lacking clarity. He moved to stand, but was stopped by cold metal on his wrist. He looked down at the handcuffs and quickly said, "Oh, no, no, no, no. Come on, what are you doing? That's my job!" He struggled against his restraint, hoping he could stop her. He was prepared this time; he knew what was going to happen

She looked at him with a slightly amused look in her eyes. "Oh, and I'm not allowed to have a career, I suppose?"

He looked between her and the handcuffs. "Why am I handcuffed? Why do you even have handcuffs?"

Professor Song grinned at him, "Spoilers."

He was not laughing, and this situation was not funny. "This is not a joke! Stop this now. This is going to kill you! I'd have a chance, you don't have any."

She turned fierce rather quickly and snapped, "You wouldn't have a chance, and neither do I. I'm timing it for the end of the countdown. There'll be a blip in the command flow. That way it should improve our chances of a cleaner download."

Professor River Song was smart; he'd give her that. She's probably too smart for her own good, but they didn't have the time to argue about it. He didn't know who she was before, but now he did, and she was about to sacrifice herself for him. The Doctor would _not_ let that happen. Not again. "River, please," he begs, "no."

She looked at him, sadness overcoming her features that had been so jovial earlier. "Funny thing is," she began, her eyes revealing the betrayal she felt, "this means you've always known how I was going to die. All the time we've been together, you knew I was coming here. The last time I saw you, the real you, the _future_ you, I mean, you turned up on my doorstep with a new haircut and a suit. You took me to Darillium to see the Singing Towers. What a night that was. The Towers sang, and you cried."

"Auto-destruct in one minute."

"You wouldn't tell me why, but I suppose you knew it was time. My time. Time to come to the Library. You even gave me your screwdriver. That should have been a clue." The Doctor looked around so he won't have to see the tears in her eyes. He felt terrible because there was no way that time could be rewritten like this, not in a just way. One day, he would tell her his greatest secret, and then betray her, all because it had already happened. His wandering eyes spied the two screwdrivers and her TARDIS blue diary sitting just out of reach, but he tried to get them anyway. Sadly, she finished, "There's nothing you can do."

He pressed, "You can let me do this." _Dying in a dream will cause you to wake up in reality._

"If you die here, it'll mean I've never met you."

"Time can be rewritten!" he said, making himself believe it so that she will. Nobody else had to die today.

She became upset, "Not those times. Not one line. Don't you dare. It's okay, it's okay. It's not over for you. You'll see me again. You've got all that to come. You and me, time and space. _You watch us run_."

But he needed answers, even if she wouldn't give in. There was no time, and it was incredibly dangerous to know his own future, but he's already done this, and knows too many things he had been impatient to know. "River, you know my name." (_"Auto-destruct in ten-"_) "You whispered my name in my ear." (_"-nine, eight, seven-"_) "There's only one reason I would ever tell anyone my name. There's only one time I could."

She gave him a sad smile as she lifted the two cables. "Hush, now." (_"-four, three-"_) "Spoilers," she whispered, and it tore at his hearts because he could stop this. (_"-two, one-"_)

River joined the two power cables, and the Doctor raised his free hand to shield his eyes from the blinding light. When it was safe to see, River's body was inanimate.

* * *

Rose looked down at the book in front of her. It appeared to be a diary-_the journal of impossible things_, something told her. The book was full of drawings and sloppy handwriting. Like in a dream, everything seemed to be jumbled together except for one phrase: _Run, you clever boy, and remember me._

Picking the book up, Rose flipped through the pages. Slowing down to pick through them one at a time, she grew surprised and then unnerved to see that each journal entry was made up of two words repeated over and over again: _BAD WOLF._

* * *

"Rory!" Amy shouted, running down the endless corridor. What the hell was this place? "Rory!" Eventually, Amy realized she was getting nowhere. All of the doors looked the same, and the hall never turned or reached an end. What kind of nightmare was this?

Amy gave in to her curiosity and moved to open one of the doors. She remembered the hotel with the minotaur, and stopped. Would this room unleash some monster from the Doctor's past? She almost stepped away and went further down the hall, but changed her mind. Running away wouldn't help if all she did was run past doors forever.

Before she could rethink, Amy yanked the door open. Instead of the dim hotel room she'd expected, the door opened to an organic version of the TARDIS console room. Maybe this was a previous design, or a completely different ship. Coral beams went from the metal grate floor to the domed ceiling.

A man who looked just like the Doctor from the parallel universe stood at the console, speaking with another version of Martha Jones. "Right then," she said. "Bye." Martha left, but then suddenly reentered the TARDIS. "Because the thing is, it's like my friend Vicky. She lived with this bloke, student housing, there were five of them all packed in, and this bloke was called Sean. And she loved him, she did, spent all day talking about him."

"Is this going anywhere?" the other Doctor said.

"Yes. Because he never looked at her twice. I mean, he liked her, but that was it. And she wasted years pining after him. Years of her life. Because while he was around, she never looked at anyone else. And I told her, I always said to her, time and time again, I said, get out. So this is me, getting out." She tossed her mobile phone to him. Amy's Doctor would have dropped the thing, but this man was more coordinated. "Keep that, because I'm not having you disappear. If that rings, _when_ that rings, you'd better come running, got it?"

He nodded. "Got it."

Martha smiled. "I'll see you again, mister." She walked out of the TARDIS, and Amy left the room, shutting the door behind her. Leaning against the wood, she pondered what she had just witnessed. Martha Jones was a previous companion of the Doctor?

Shaking it off, Amy chose the next door and opened it. This time, she was standing outside the TARDIS with a Doctor she didn't recognize. A blonde woman was with him, saying, "I'm not coming with you."

"Inside," this Doctor urgently pressed, "that's an order."

"No more orders, Doctor," the young woman said. "Goodbye."

"What? What a moment to choose!"

"But it is, isn't it?" she asked rhetorically. "A moment to choose. I've got to be my own Romana."

Another man joined the conversation. "And we need a Time Lord."

"Goodbye, Doctor," Romana said.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, no, no-wait, wait. There's something else. K9. He'll be alright with you behind the mirrors."

Romana smiled. "I'll take care of him."

"I'll miss you," said the Doctor. "You were the noblest Romana of them all."

Amy backed out of the room and shut the door as the TARDIS was dematerializing, wondering if all of these rooms held another goodbye. It almost pained her to feel the urge to open another. She walked along the hall, knowing she would never reach an end. It was only a matter of time until she was forced to open another door.

This time, she was back in the organic console room with the Doctor from the other universe. Donna Noble stood with her hands on the console, speaking to the Doctor as he threw them into the Vortex. "I thought we could try the planet Felspoon. Just because. What a good name, Felspoon. Apparently, it's got mountains that sway in the breeze, mountains that move. Can you imagine?"

The Doctor seemed grim as he said, "And how do you know that?"

Donna was gleeful, pointing to his head, "Because it's in your head. And if it's in your head, it's in mine."

"And how does that feel?" Amy could tell that the Doctor knew something that he didn't want to share with Donna. His posture and demeanor gave it away, even if she didn't know this version of the Doctor. He was still the same man.

"Brilliant!" Donna exclaimed, speaking quickly and only getting faster with time. "Fantastic! Molto bene! Great big universe, packed into my brain. You know you could fix that chameleon circuit if you just tried hot-binding the fragment links and superseding the binary-binary-binary-binary-binary-binary-binary-b inary-binary-binary-binary-binary-binary-binary-" She took a deep breath, "I'm fine. Nah, never mind Felspoon You know who I'd like to meet? Charlie Chaplin. I bet he's great, Charlie Chaplin. Shall we do that? Shall we go and see Charlie Chaplin? Shall we? Charlie Chaplin? Charlie Chester. Charlie Brown. No, he's fiction. Friction, fiction, fixin', mixin', Rickston, Brixton-"

Donna doubled over, gasping for air. "Oh my God."

The Doctor looked sympathetic and just as pained as she, for he knew what was going to happen. "Do you know what's happening?"

Grimacing, Donna nodded angrily, and hissed, "Yeah."

"There's never been human-Time Lord metacrisis before now. And you know why."

Amy had never seen such a sad look as that which was in Donna's eyes. "Because there can't be." A beat. "I want to stay."

"Look at me," the Doctor said, moving in front of her. "Donna, look at me."

"I was going to be with you forever."

"I know."

"The rest of my life, traveling in the TARDIS," she said, on the verge of tears. "The Doctor Donna. No. Oh my God, I can't go back. Don't make me go back. Doctor, please, _please_ don't make me go back."

He looked as if he were about to cry as well, but was trying to be strong for her. "Donna. Oh, Donna Noble. I am so sorry. But we had the best of times."

"No," she said.

He ignored her. "The best. Goodbye."

"No, no, no. Please! _Please! _No, _no_," Donna fought, but it was no use. The Doctor pressed his fingertips to her temples, steady against her struggling. Amy understood what was happening by the way she was fighting, the goodbye he had given her, and tears on her own cheeks. "No!"

But then Donna fell unconscious.

Amy left the room and wiped the tears from her face. She'd always known the Doctor had to say goodbye eventually, but she didn't realize it would be like this. Some left of their own will, some didn't have a choice..._and some died_, her mind completed. Donna Noble may have only had her mind erased, but the Donna Noble who had traveled with the Doctor was dead.

She didn't want to do this anymore. She couldn't walk through the rooms and watch the Doctor lose his friends. It didn't matter if the real him was around here somewhere; she didn't want to look for him any longer.

_One more door_, something told her, and Amy let her subconscious take control of her body. She walked to the door directly across the floor and pushed it open. She was not prepared for the sight in front of her.

The Doctor was handcuffed to a railing, and River Song lay still in a chair. Her own daughter. "Melody!" Amy gasped, bounding over to where her baby girl was sleeping.

"Amy," the Doctor said, his voice breaking. "Amelia Pond. I'm so sorry."

Amy shook her daughter's body, not wanting this to be real. This felt too real. She kept telling herself that it was a dream, but it was too hard. A pair of arms wrapped around Amy, and she turned into a familiar chest, sobbing. "Rory," she moaned, "she's gone. Melody's dead."

The whirring of the sonic screwdriver was heard in the background, then murmured "Thanks" from the Doctor. Rose helped him to his feet, and tried not to feel uplifted when he didn't let go of her hand for those few seconds before he went to comfort his friends.

After calming Amy down from her hysterics, the Doctor led the way through a large Library to the TARDIS. Unlike before, they were able to walk inside properly this time. Amy collapsed onto the pilot's seat, pulling Rory down with her. Rose stood off to the side, watching the Doctor search through a cubby for some sort of bottle. He shook the brown bottle, then unscrewed the lid to pull out the dropper.

He crossed to Rose. "Stick out your tongue." Feeling foolish, she did so. He put a few drops of a warm liquid in her mouth, then moved on to the Ponds. After giving them the liquid, the Doctor took some himself. A few minutes after receiving the medicine, Rose felt a cooling sensation, like someone had dropped a bucket of lukewarm water over her head.

Perfectly dry, she blinked several times as if to clear her eyes. The lights seemed brighter, the details more focused. It appeared that Rory and Amy were having similar reactions.

The Doctor didn't wait to be questioned before explaining. "We were affected by the universe's natural defenses upon our arrival. Because we were all in one ship, we all had the same hallucinations, the same nightmares. But we're better now. It's over. I just gave you all a sort of anti-Benadryl to combat the sleepiness and after-effects of the hallucinatory molecules. Some natural sleep will benefit us all."

"What was that place, Doctor?" Rory asked, not feeling the need to sleep just yet.

Rose shivered from the chill in the air. As if he noticed her discomfort, the Doctor twisted a dial that looked suspiciously like a thermostat. "My subconscious."

"So your nightmares?" Rose asked.

He nodded. "What has happened, what could happen."

Amy looked up at him through wet eyes. "And Melody..."

The Doctor looked genuinely concerned as he took his friend's hands. "The first time I ever met River Song, she sacrificed her own life to save mine. I treated her terribly and I regret every minute of it. That day was-is one of my worst nightmares. She doesn't know, but I do-I've seen her death, I've lived her death. But even though she's your daughter, Amy, Rory, you mustn't tell her. Her death in the Library is a fixed point. She can't know."

Rory wiped his eyes and wrapped an arm around Amy's shoulders. "Let's go to bed," he said, standing and leading Amy out of the console room.

The Doctor and Rose stood silently for several minutes. "I saw so many people," Rose said. "Peri, Susan, Jack...how do you live with it?"

He pulled Rose into his arms and rested his chin on her blonde hair. After a long moment, he answered, "Because I have to."

Rose stepped away from him, looking up to his face. "Can I visit my mum, please?" When he nodded, she muttered, "Thanks," and then walked away to her room. Life on the TARDIS was exhilarating, and so heartbreaking. She needed the comforts of home, her mother's cooking, and Mickey's laugh.

She needed to tell Mickey the truth.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed that. Pretty please review!**

**Next time: The Base that Shouldn't Be**


	11. The Base that Shouldn't Be

**I will enjoy hearing your reactions from this, when the shit hits the fan. Things get a bit controversial here, so please stick with me. As always, I will answer any questions you may have. Enjoy!**

* * *

_Chapter X - The Base that Shouldn't Be_

Amy opened the TARDIS doors and moaned, "Doctor, does this look like twenty-first century Earth to you?"

He swung the console screen around so that it was directly in front of him and frowned. "No," he said, smacking the console with the palm of his hand, "it doesn't. And now she's locked herself down so that we're stuck here. Of all the days to throw a temper tantrum-"

The Doctor barely threw himself out of the way before the TARDIS emitted a shower of sparks where his face had been previously. Still grumbling, he kicked the console until someone interrupted him from outside the TARDIS. "Oh, don't worry, my dear! It was me, not her!"

Like a dog who'd seen a squirrel, the Doctor's head turned so fast that it wouldn't have surprised anyone if it popped off. "River!" he shouted, scrambling to his feet and out the door, knocking Rose into the railing in the process. "How dare you take over my TARDIS? We had definite plans today! We were going to visit Rose's mother and we did not need you interrupting us."

"Hello, sweetie," she said. He was clearly not amused. River raised her eyebrows. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you hated meeting the parents. Well, except mine, but that's a _different_ story."

Amy snorted, pulling Rory out of the TARDIS behind her. Rose closed the door behind them and leaned against it. As much as she liked the Doctor in _that _way, it was amusing to watch him get flustered in front of his wife and in-laws.

Rose smiled to herself and tried to ignore the slight drop of her heart as the Doctor kissed River's cheek. "It doesn't really matter," Rose said kindly, "we can always go see my mum tomorrow."

River grinned. "See? Something to look forward to, and now we have the whole day together!"

That didn't exactly make the Doctor feel better. He didn't know Jackie Tyler, but something told him that Rose didn't get her feistiness from her dead father. Plus, now the promise of taking Rose home for a day was looming over his head.

"So where are we?" asked Rory, looking around the stone cavern with his hands in his pockets.

"And _when_ are we?" Amy added.

River looked at her communicator, answering, "Asteroid SF-002 in the Kuiper Belt, used as a Church research facility since they bought out Torchwood. And it is now the seventeenth of August, year 4037." Sirens began blaring, echoing throughout the cavern. "Oh, and look, they've found us."

Before there was any time to run or hide, six armed men and women flooded into the cavern through the only entrance. "Reach for the sky!" one of the men, an American, said. Doing as he asked, the Doctor and his friends moved into a sort of clump.

A woman pushed through the six and shouted, "Lower your weapons!" Stepping towards the Doctor, she smiled and said, "We've been waiting for this moment for centuries. I'm so glad the prophecy came true while I was working here."

Glancing once at River, the Doctor shook her extended hand. "Ah, yes. I...had no idea I was coming. I'm the Doctor and these are, uh, my companions. Would you mind telling me who you are and why there are still guns pointed at us. I don't like guns."

The woman turned and harshly motioned for all weapons to be put away. "I'm Janine Herbert, research director for SF-002, and these are my crew."

Amy ran her eyes over the six motley humans in the back. "This is it?"

Janine nodded. "We've got Ted, my second-in-command, Karen, the biology expert, Kaylee, engineer, Mal's our captain, and then Ricky and Nicky are our field operatives, as well as resident psychics." The twins smiled and waved. Quietly, she added, "Though they aren't very accurate. I think they made it up. Basically, we're all that's out here for hundreds of lightyears."

"What are you studying?" the Doctor asked as Janine walked them through an airlock and into a metal corridor.

She shrugged, "This and that. Mostly we have samples of life from all over the universe." As they walked, they passed large glassed-in environments where alien creatures were kept. "We've got a baby Raxacoricofallipatorian, a pod of nanogenes, two dozen freshwater eels, three chimpanzees, a recovering nun from New New Earth, and-"

"The Silence," Rose said, paling. The others looked at her, and she pointed. Up ahead, an eery blue light was reflected off the water that the Silence were floating in. Dressed to the nines, the aliens exhaled bubbles and followed the visitors with their eyes as they passed.

"So that's why we're here," the Doctor muttered to River, very wary of why his wife would want to bring him here.

She didn't make any comment to him, but rather spoke up, "I thought you needed to wear eye drives when working with the Silence."

Janine walked backwards for a bit while she explained, "A primitive form of external memory. We've got chips implanted in our minds so that we don't need to compromise our vision, based on the processors used on Satellite Five way back." She raised a hand and snapped her fingers, opening a metal hole in her forehead that revealed her brain tissue. Closing it with another snap, Janine turned back around and led them into a kitchen area.

Amy and Rory sat down at the large table, pulling Rose down with them so that the Doctor and River would get a chance to speak privately. Rose wasn't sure how she felt about them as a couple, but definitely felt like the fifth wheel. And to think that she had planned on breaking up with Mickey today. Then again, it wasn't like they were still together anyway, not really.

"Why did you bring us here, River?" the Doctor asked in an undertone, trying not to worry the others. Something about this place did not sit right with him. There were feelings poking at his mind from within himself that he did not like.

"I was raised by the Silence, Doctor," River said. "I've grown wary of them in large quantities. Something about this place doesn't sit right with me."

He firmly nodded once in agreement. "But why bring us here?" Studying her face as she looked over to her parents, the Doctor realized that River must be very far along here. Her eyes looked so much older and worn than he'd seen before, except in the Library.

River took a deep breath before looking back to him. "There's a prophecy," she said slowly, pulling a piece of paper from her pocket. It was a page torn out from a very old book. "It is said that Silence will fall when the question is asked. But what is the question?"

"Dorium once said that it was the first question, hidden in plain sight," the Doctor sighed. "Doctor _who_?"

"They need to know your name?" River asked, looking back over at the table.

Following her eyes, the Doctor nodded. "That is why we must never tell them, River. You are the only person who knows my name. You are my wife, and that is my secret. You must never share it with anyone."

"Of course," River said, taking his hand and bringing it to her lips. "But, Doctor, I can't help but wonder...there's more in the book this page is from, more on this page. It is said that the Killer of the Silence has friends: the Soldier, his wife, and the Valiant Child. What does that all mean?"

"I don't know," the Doctor said, glancing at the table again. "You know what I've never quite figured out, River?" She shook her head, drawing his face back with her fingertips so that he was looking at her. "Why did Rose Tyler leave her flat that Christmas Eve when we first met, just to ask a stranger if he was alright?"

"Do you think it's a paradox?" River asked.

"I think," the Doctor said carefully, "it has something to do with Bad Wolf."

"What is that?"

He looked at Rose Tyler once more. "I don't know."

* * *

Electricity crackled at the long fingertips of the Silent, sparking at the chip in Kaylee's mind. She dropped to the floor, dead, and Mal emptied another round in the alien's chest. "They're getting out!" the captain shouted into his walkie talkie, reloading his rifle. Another glass prison cracked, leaking what looked like water but had the consistency of amniotic fluid onto the floor. "Seal the doors! I'll take out as many as I can."

It wasn't long before he heard the giant bolts being slid into place, effectively locking him out of safety. He managed to kill half a dozen of the Silence before succumbing being shocked for the first time. But as he grew more and more weary of the shocks, Mal spoke into his comm. device and understood the true danger here: the Silence were interfering with the radio waves. Mal tried to send out one more warning, but the Silence fried his walkie talkie before frying him.

* * *

Amy was the first to notice that something was wrong. There was a glass of water sitting in front of her, thanks to Nicky, who doubled as chef. Amy remembered her very first 'real' adventure with the Doctor to the Starship UK, where she saved a star whale. The Doctor had noticed that something was wrong when the water was so still that there couldn't possibly have been engines running.

This was not quite the same.

Amy hated horror films. Sure, she loved being scared (not as much as she loved being _less_ scared than Rory), but the suspense killed her. It started out slowly enough that Amy thought someone had bumped the table. But then it happened again. And again, and again, until it grew constant and the others began to pick up on it too.

"It's an earthquake!" Amy shouted, grabbing Rory's hand and ducking under the table. Wasn't that what you were supposed to do in a situation like this? The lights began to flicker and glasses and silverware rattled.

Janine reached for her communication device. "Cap'n, come in. Kaylee? Ted?"

A voice spoke over the PA system, _"Silence will fall."_

The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at the speaker on the wall, activating a receiver so that he could communicate with the Silent at the other end. "What are you here for?" the Doctor yelled up at the ceiling, tilting his head to the side.

Other than the sounds of the earthquake, the room was silent until, _"We have come to take what is ours."_

He looked to Amy, remembering Demon's Run. "You cannot have her."

_ "You cannot stop us."_

"There is no way in _hell_ that I will let you take her away from me. We outnumber you and that is why we are safe. You are not a stupid species; you will not fight a losing battle."

Rose tugged on the zip of her jacket. How could they fight something they wouldn't recognize until it was too late? "Doctor," she whispered, "we don't outnumber 'em. There were dozens of 'em."

He sighed and said, "Yes, that was a clever lie to get them off our backs, now void."

_"You cannot stop us,"_ the Silent repeated.

Blue electricity sparked around the edges of the doors into the cafeteria. The Last Centurion, having climbed out from under the table with his wife, moved to put himself between his wife and daughter. He had fought the Silence before, and he would be damned before he let them take his family again.

"I can," the Doctor said, "and I will. This is your last warning. And remember what happened last time."

Ted and Ricky walked around the room, handing out guns of various size and structure. Rose took one nervously, holding it gingerly as if it would explode any second, before setting it down on the table so that she could grab it if needed. Just before moving on, Ricky leaned in and whispered, "There is something of the wolf about you." He had continued handing out weapons to the others before Rose could comprehend what he said or ask for clarification. Amy grabbed the large futuristic rifle meant for Rory and held it in both hands, leaving the smaller pistol for her husband. Really, he would have been better off with a sword.

River grinned and held up her own blaster. The Doctor refused to take hold of a weapon. "I don't like guns," he said, trying to ignore River's snickers. "Sort of like yours, but I hate that I do."

"Oh, I think you like more than my _gun_," River sneered, moving in close to him.

He smirked. "I can think of _two_ things..." The Doctor's wife leaned up and kissed him. The moment was cut short by an uncomfortable cough from Rory's direction. The Doctor looked down at the blaster in River's hand. "Is that the squareness gun?"

River smiled. "Borrowed it from a fellow named Jack. Said he knew you, sends his regards."

"And more than that, I suppose," the Doctor said, his mood shifting as he remembered the constant flirting from his old friend.

Ever coy, River said, "Yes, he did mention that he wanted to see you soon. He asked me out to dinner, but I thought a date would be a bit inappropriate seeing as we are married. When I told him that, he said he wouldn't mind if _both_ of us paid him a visit in the near future. I told him to expect us next week."

The Doctor carefully folded his hands in his lap.

Clearing his throat, the Doctor looked to Janine and said, "We need to get back to my ship."

Amy raised her eyebrows. "But the Silence are between us and the TARDIS. There's no way we can fight past all of them."

Inspecting the door with the sonic screwdriver, avoiding the blue electricity, the Doctor's mind raced. "Is there any other way through the compound?"

"Yes," Janine said, "but we'd have to move quickly before the Silence figure out how they could cut us off."

"Lead the way," the Doctor said, sonic-ing the metal door so that it might stand as a barrier for a little while longer.

Janine unbolted another heavy door and held it open for the others to run out. Ted led the way, weapons ready to fire at the sight of a rogue alien. Rose tried not to think of the weapon in her hands, but simply focused on not tripping and accidentally killing somebody.

The Doctor sonic-ed the door behind them before running through the dark to catch up with the others. The cave walls were dripping and echoing every sound. Though several people carried torches, the light seemed to only highlight certain areas, leaving much to be hidden in the dark.

When they reached a secondary control room, the group stopped to catch their breath. River kneeled to retie the laces of her boot, and the Doctor leaned on her head, running his fingers absentmindedly through her hair. The timelines were scrambled, and it unnerved him. There were so many possibilities of things that could go right or wrong.

He expected most of the trouble to be surrounding Amy or River, since they had had run-ins with the Silence in the past, but it seemed that at least Amy was protected, other than the possibilities of an injury in crossfire. Sickened by the thought of battle, the Doctor's focus shifted to Rose.

Why had she been so kind to him? Why did he bring her along? She never seemed to question him, only listened and gave her opinions. Rose Tyler was a normal human girl, but that didn't explain anything about her decisions. Maybe she was just kind. Most likely, he was just looking for something to be wrong when, really, everything about Rose Tyler was perfectly fine.

The Doctor closed his eyes, following several particular strands of Time through the dark. Each seemed to end in burning light, echoes of whispers flitting through his mind as he tried to picture what could happen: _bad wolf_ and _run you clever boy and remember_.

Each minute they spent here altered the timelines. They needed to keep moving.

Running again, this time with the Doctor towards the front, they could hear movement behind them. They wouldn't be safe for long. It was increasingly pertinent that they reach the TARDIS before the Silence.

"Oh!" Rose cried out, stumbling and falling. Throwing her hands out to catch herself, Rose hit the ground hard, feeling something in her wrist pop. Her knees stung, and she rolled to the side to assess the damage. Several torches were immediately aimed in her direction, illuminating the damage. Her jeans were torn on both knees, revealing roughed up, bloody skin. Rose's palms were bleeding, too; she tried to wipe them on her jeans.

Was it just her imagination, or had someone tripped her? Rose wasn't sure.

It was soon apparent that Rose would not be able to run with the others. "I'll carry you," Rory offered, but Rose shook him off, leaning against the wall for support.

"Run ahead, then come back in the TARDIS. I'll follow on my own. There's no need for everyone to slow down."

No one liked it, but Rose was right. The Doctor, River, and her parents sprinted ahead, with Ted and Nicky, leaving Rose behind with Janine, Ricky, and Karen. Fortunately, they were close to the ship, and her comforting presence in the Doctor's mind only warmed as they grew closer. When the circular tunnels led back to the cavern they had landed in, the Doctor snapped his fingers as they approached, opening the doors so they could run inside.

The Silence had found the TARDIS, as well. Ted and Nicky shot round after round, taking out as many aliens as they could, but the Silence seemed to just keep coming.

The Doctor waited, but it seemed by Ted's frantic shouting for them to go on without them that they weren't coming. It was probably too late, anyway, as painful as that was. He tried to move them to where Rose and the rest of the team was, but the TARDIS shook and threw them all to the ground.

Sparks flew from the console and smoke filled the room. Every screen filled with static. The Doctor picked himself up from the floor and raced around the room as Rose's voice came over every speaker. _"Doctor?"_ she shouted. _"Doctor, Amy, can you hear me? Are you there, Doctor?"_

River held onto the console, lifting herself. "What's wrong?" she asked, both to the Doctor and the ship. The TARDIS shook again, but River was prepared, holding on with both hands so she wouldn't fall and injure herself.

Her voice disappeared, replaced by the sound of static. And then the Silent who had been speaking with the Doctor earlier said, _"So small...The Soldier, haunted by the eyes of his Wife_"-Rory and Amy looked at each other, wondering what that meant.-_"The Lost Girl so far away from home_"-River, having recognized the prophecy, looked to the Doctor-"_The Valiant Child, who will die in battle so very soon_."

Rose's shaking voice asked, _"Doctor, what does that mean?"_

He commanded, "Rose, don't listen!"

Opening the TARDIS doors with a snap of his fingers, the Doctor looked to River for reassurance. She made no move, but the Doctor didn't care. His friend was in danger-a human friend who would die so much sooner than him, possibly sooner than his already dead wife. Rose Tyler was important to him, and he was going to save her.

The Doctor could hear Rose screaming in the distance. He stopped just inside the TARDIS doorway, placing his hand on the opposite door for support, able to see her and the others from afar. Janine and Ricky had their hands on Rose's arms, and she was struggling to get away from them, screaming, "No, no, no! Please! Let me go, _please_-" Janine pulled out a syringe and injected it into Rose's thigh.

It was then, as Rose fell unconscious in the arms of people the Doctor had wrongly trusted, that he realized what had been so unnerving about this place.

The whole thing was a trap. He didn't know how, and he didn't know why, but the Doctor knew that coming here was no mistake. He wanted to believe something _Star Wars_-esque had happened, that a tractor beam from the Death Star had drawn them in, but he knew that they were not that lucky.

Of all the people in the universe it was possible for them to manipulate in order to bring him down, who else would the Silence have chosen?

Slamming the door forcefully behind him, the Doctor stalked up to the console and violently threw them into the Vortex, overriding any reservations or complaints the ship might have had. The ship was still battered and wounded from the entire ordeal, leaving the console room dark save for the blue emergency lights; the wheezing of the time rotor seemed amplified, but it didn't matter.

Feeling the anger of the Oncoming Storm, the Doctor shouldered his pride and moved in front of his wife. "How _dare_ you?" he shouted, fully aware that Amy and Rory were completely unaware of what had transpired.

A sadness settled in River's eyes, but she didn't look apologetic. "It's not what you think," she offered, sincere yet unconvincing.

"She trusted you," the Doctor roared, "_I_ trusted you!"

"What just happened?" asked Rory. "Are we going to get Rose?"

Calming himself down physically, the Doctor's voice was still full of ice as he said, "Your _daughter_ just sold Rose Tyler to the Silence for God knows what. What did they give you? Money? Freedom?"

River's sadness tweaked to include a bit of anger or frustration. "I did it to save you," she said plainly.

"That is _bullshit_!" the Doctor shouted, surprising the others with his use of colorful language that so rarely escaped him (at least in English).

She shrugged. "It's the truth. One human life to save the last of the Time Lords. I thought it was a fair trade."

"You didn't even ask me what I thought!"

"I knew you would sacrifice yourself, and I couldn't let you do that!" River said, stepping closer to her husband. He backed away and looked to the floor. "This was the only choice. I could _never_ turn you in to the them. You make them so afraid. When you began, all those years ago, sailing off to see the universe, did you ever think you'd become this? The man who can turn an army at the mention of his name. How far you've come. And now they've taken a child, and they're going to turn her into a weapon just to bring you down. All this, my love, in fear of you."

The Doctor turned his back to her, angrily pulling at his bow tie. "This was not your only choice, River. You knew that they were going to kill her, so you were just _hoping_ that I wouldn't mind."

"I could never give you to the Silence. You are my husband. I would tear apart a thousand universes to keep you safe."

He looked at her. "They will kill her. You said so yourself."

Tears filled River's eyes. "I chose one human for the sake of the universe. I would make the same decision again. To keep you safe, Doctor, I would give up everything."

The Doctor pulled a lever, and the TARDIS landed suddenly, rocking a bit to the side before settling. "Get out."

River walked to the doors, looking back once more before stepping out into Stormcage. "One girl can be saved. The universe is on my side, Doctor. It's time you were, too."

* * *

**Reviews are greatly appreciated!**

**Next time: Bad Wolf**


	12. Bad Wolf

**I'm psyched that so many of y'all caught the Firefly references in the last chapter. Browncoats! Anyway, here's the next installment. Please don't hate River; I certainly don't. We all do things we regret. Or, like Benedict Cumberbatch said in STID, "Is there anything you would not do for your family?" Enjoy!**

* * *

_Chapter XI - Bad Wolf_

The only way to describe this sensation was like drowning. It was as if the floodgates had been torn down and now the waters of the sea were crashing over her. Darkness covered her, smothering her, asphyxiating her. Heading pounding, ears ringing-surely this was the most painful way to go.

Even sound seemed muffled and movement slow and restrained. Time dragged heavy and slow as the darkness pulled her down deeper into the blackness. Her throat grew sore, like she was screaming, even though she didn't know if she actually was. Wispy tendrils of weight grasped at her feet, keeping her from rising to the surface where clean and clear air waited for her. What she wouldn't give for her lungs to be filled with air right now and not this choking sensation.

The light shining in her eyes was so bright that it seemed to shroud her in darkness. Her mind kept telling her to close her eyes, but her body didn't agree. Neither did her captors. The light filled her body, and the darkness grew deeper and thicker. It grew harder to breathe, harder to think. Even if she could control her situation, she wasn't sure what she would do to stop this.

Where was she again? The suffocation kept her mind from organizing her thoughts and memories. How did she get here? Who was she? Even her own identity fled from her like the so-called friends she had. (But was that possible? Could friends really abandon her? Did she even have friends? She couldn't remember.)

She lost all feeling in her body and felt like she was floating in the heavy darkness, but at the same time was drowning in the deepest trench in the darkest sea. If this was Purgatory, she wished she had paid more attention to what Heaven would be like.

The waters became too much, and she lost consciousness, falling into the dark with no chance of escape.

* * *

"You can't just leave us here!" Amy complained, stomping her foot to the concrete street in front of the Pond home.

"I can, and I will," the Doctor threatened. "It's too dangerous for you to come along."

"We've faced the Silence before, Doctor," she said. It was unfair for the Doctor to drop Amy and Rory off at home before running off to save the universe again. After Rose was kidnapped and River was left at Stormcage, the Doctor brooded a bit on his own in the depths of the TARDIS. Eventually, he resurfaced and demanded that Amy and Rory return home.

"We owe it to Rose to help her," Rory said, folding his arms. Amy linked her arm through one of his in solidarity. "It isn't fair for us to sit behind while you go off and be gallant."

"The Silence know you-" the Doctor argued.

Amy cut him off with a roll of her eyes. "They know you too, Doctor. And you're their grand target. I think it'll be easier for you to rescue Rose with our help. Roman Centurions come in handy."

"Not to mention fiery gingers," Rory agreed.

"You're not a Centurion, nor are you ginger," Amy said, and the Doctor tried not to let his frown lift slightly. He was unsuccessful, and Amy grinned at that. "You need us, Doctor. We're your best mates. You need your friends."

He smiled sincerely at them, fully knowing that they were right. "Alright," he said, opening the TARDIS doors. "Come along, Ponds."

Amy gave a little hop before rushing into her real home, and Rory did a joyful jig before bouncing in after Amy. It was hard leaving friends and family behind, but the TARDIS was their home, and the Doctor the only family they really needed. They grabbed hold of the console as the Doctor set them on their course.

"So where to, Doctor?" asked Amy. "Where's Rose?"

He took a moment to think. "I don't know. Actually, I think I need to check something in the library. Be right back."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Okay, Hermione Granger." She laughed and took Rory's hand. "He'll be a few hours. Let's go to the aquarium; I've been meaning to check up on Jim II."

The Doctor, meanwhile, was specifically _not_ going to the library. He could have told Rory and Amy the truth, but they might have thought it weird or creepy. Then again, he would do anything to find and protect Rose, and they understood that. Clearly feeling helpful, the TARDIS rearranged the rooms so that Rose's bedroom was just out of sight from the console room.

He opened the door, closing it softly after he slid into the room. The TARDIS didn't need light switches (she could turn on or off any light she wanted), but had installed one on the wall for Rose's twenty-first century comfort. The Doctor flicked it and smiled at the sight of disarray in Rose's room.

Clothes were piled on nearly every piece of furniture (he tried not to blush at the sight of a hot pink bra lying on the floor near him) with shoes and pillows and blankets littering the floor. It appeared as if she had tried to keep the room clean, but mostly failed. What wasn't hanging in her closet was left on chairs, souvenirs and bags rested on the foot of her bed, pajamas were tossed on the floor, and the bookshelf was overflowing with well-worn romance novels and trinkets from various planets. Rose had once mentioned wanting to keep her room here clean. If this was clean, the Doctor shuddered to think what a messy room looked like.

He smiled at the Prota Zoa poster on her wall. Rose had turned into the ultimate fangirl when they stopped by his concert on Persephone. The way she had looked at the pop star...it almost made the Doctor jealous. He was a married man; it was wrong to feel this way. But what was the status of his relationship with River Song? Was betrayal grounds for divorce? Did he want a divorce?

Rose Tyler was a human girl, with a human boyfriend, and a human life ahead of her. It was a mere fluke that she agreed to travel the stars with him. River Song was more like the Doctor. While he had witnessed her death, she was part Time Lord, had given him her remaining regenerations. She would die with finality, had died-Time was confusing. There was no way to tell how much time he had left with her.

It hurt that River had handed Rose over to the Silence instead of him. It hurt worse that he understood her intentions. He was a selfish old man; he did not want to die. But it wasn't fair for Rose to suffer because of it.

Something deep down told him Rose would do anything for him. The way she smiled, with her tongue between her teeth, her laugh, her blush when he complimented her, the hormones she would not even know she was emitting-the Doctor knew science, knew that Rose Tyler was physically and emotionally attracted to him. He might be oblivious to most romantic things, but he could see it in her.

Knowing that he could _see_ Rose Tyler frightened him. He didn't understand River Song, no matter how long he knew her. He was rubbish at relationships, so being able to read a young human girl with hardly a single glance frightened him more than the entire Dalek race.

The Doctor walked to Rose's bedside table and rifled through the drawer. She was the kind of girl to keep a diary. Yes, it was an invasion of privacy, but to save her life, he would read her diary. Since Rose had not returned home after beginning her travels with the Doctor, the journal started with her first night on the TARDIS.

There weren't very many entries, so he was able to skim the whole thing in about three seconds. Then he returned to the beginning, where something had caught his eye.

_ Mum would kill me if she knew I was here. Kill me then ask what the hell was wrong with me. Then kill me again. Though I will say, these people seem pretty nice. Sure, they're weird, but nice enough. And bow ties really are cool. I should get one for Mickey. God, he would never wear the thing. It would hurt his 'swag' or whatever._

_ When I threw that egg thing in the pool, the weirdest thing happened (though what isn't weird about this whole day?). It glowed and then a really familiar voice said 'rescue me chin boy and show me the stars'. Like what the hell is that about? I think I'm going mad. They're gonna shut me up for this._

Turning the page, the Doctor continued reading.

_If only Rory weren't married...I'd shag the hell out of him. I think Amy could take me though. And the Doctor's married too. His wife could totally fight dirty too. I feel bad for saying it, but Mickey is just not...I dunno, not the Doctor or Rory. Whatever. He sure is better than Jimmy Stone that arsehole._

Making a mental note to never mention any of this to his friends, the Doctor continued reading.

_I think I like the Doctor more than I should. I mean, he's brilliant and clever and has really gorgeous hair. Not as nice as the one from the other universe, but still. And damn that other Doctor was a good kisser. That was the best snog of my life. I don't care if he was evil or whatever...well, yeah I do._

_ Actually, that day was horrible. No one's ever died right in front of me before. I feel like I could've stopped it but I didn't. Does that make me a bad person? He was horrible, but he was changing. Maybe he should've had a second chance._

The Doctor stopped reading that entry. Rose was a forgiving person, and a lot more, well, _human _and hormonal than he would have expected. Knowing that she had snogged the alternate universe version of him was a little surprising, but could he blame her? In that body, he tended to snog every woman within ten feet of him. Now he hardly knew what to do when in a situation like that.

Returning his focus to the task on hand, the Doctor perused the journal for any more mentions of voices saying strange things. Finding none, he searched his memory for every mention of something strange.

When the Voice had taken over the TARDIS before they crashed in a parallel universe, the Doctor heard the Voice say, _"Run you clever boy, and remember," _not to mention all of those _bad wolf_ reminders floating about time and space. How was that possible?

Placing the diary back in the drawer, the Doctor searched his mind for anything to make sense. Before any plausible theory settled into place, the cloister bell started ringing. The Doctor's hearts dropped in dread. Only slightly panicking, he sprinted to the console room, where his attention was drawn to the screen.

A video message was incoming, awaiting confirmation from him.

Amy and Rory rushed into the room, and he gave them a look of determination before typing in the passcode to begin the conversation. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the hologram coming out from the screen was familiar. Madame Kovarian, still wearing her 'primitive' eye drive, sneered at the Doctor through the image. _ "Hello, Doctor."_

He gave her a forced grin, still allowing menace to pour through his eyes. If looks could kill, she would be regenerating already (if she were a Time Lord, that is). "Madame Kovarian," he said in return. "I think you have someone who belongs to me."

"_Ooh_," she said, her dark lipstick curling. "_She _belongs_ to you now? I thought that position would be reserved for your wife. How is she by the way?_"

Speaking about River was still tough for the Doctor. Time seemed longer for him than for humans, but he still had not had time enough to sort through his feelings for his wife. "She is well, no thanks to you."

"_And her parents?_"

"Protected."

"_Good_," Kovarian grinned. The quipping back and forth was comfortable between them. It wasn't until things started to get dirty that everything grew complicated. "_I just wanted to call and tell you that your precious Miss Tyler is perfectly safe with us here. A few bruised ribs, broken wrist, and a sprained ankle, but nothing we can't take care of easily here._"

Nonchalantly, as if he had no cares in the world, the Doctor asked, "And where is 'here'?"

She smiled at him as if he were a stupid little boy. "_Oh, it wouldn't be that easy, Doctor. We learned our lesson at Demon's Run. Or, rather, you learned your lesson. We're always a few steps and a jump ahead of you, Doctor_."

"I wouldn't say that. I think I've gotten through you enough times for you to be wary of me."

"_Wary_?" she raised her eyebrows. "_Yes, I'd say we're wary. Cautious, even. There are so many people in the universe who hate you, Doctor. What a nice price Miss Tyler's pretty head will get all throughout time and space. The child-_-"

Tired of Madame Kovarian's games, the Doctor interrupted, "Where is she? What is she to you?"

"_Hope_," Kovarian said fiercely, her one visible eye flashing. "_Our hope for the future, a hope we've longed for to use as our protection_."

"Against whom?" He feared he already knew the answer.

"_Against you, _Doctor_,_" Madame Kovarian answered. _"I'm afraid this is all the time I've got. I'm a very busy woman and I haven't got all day. If you want to speak later, I'm sure I could find time in my busy schedule._"

"Where is Rose Tyler?"

It was very obvious that Kovarian was amused by the Doctor's growing anger. "_Would you like to see her? She's just woken up from her first session with our research team._"

"Research team?" But before the Doctor could get an answer, Madame Kovarian was gone. The connection was still active, however, and the Doctor was afraid to disconnect the line. This might be his only chance to speak with Rose. He looked to Amy and Rory, uplifted by the sheer determination written on their faces.

And then, the image of Rose appeared in the TARDIS. "_Doctor?_" she asked, reaching out for him.

"No touch," the Doctor said, "I'm just an image. Are you alright, Rose? Have they hurt you?"

Her eyes were red and puffy, obviously paining her. "_My head is killin' me. I don't remember anythin', it's all just really dark and bright and-my head_." Rose bit her lip and grabbed clumps of her long hair in her fists, squeezing her eyes shut.

The Doctor took several steps toward Rose and moved to pull her into his arms, stopping when he remembered she was just an image, projected through time and space to taunt him, to bring him out of his shell just to be taken down like the tyrant he was. "We are coming for you," he promised, speaking quickly so he would not be cut off, "I swear it. Whatever happens, however hard, however far, we will find you."

Tears slipped down her cheeks and she nodded. "_Don't give up._"

"No," the Doctor said.

And as his hearts physically ached from not being able to touch her, the Doctor realized that what he felt for Rose Tyler was entirely inappropriate, but entirely right.

Just before she disappeared, the Doctor could swear Rose's eyes flashed a hint of gold.

Kovarian returned, her devilish smile teasing the Doctor to tear down the walls of reality to find her and destroy her. "_She's perfectly safe, Doctor. Trust me_."

"Never," the Doctor hissed.

"_Suit yourself_," Madame Kovarian shrugged, blinking slowly. "_And just so you know, so you're prepared, we took a leaf out of your people's book to create our weapon_." The wheels turned in the Doctor's head as he pieced together the puzzle, and recognition dawned on his face when he figured it out. "_Goodbye, Doctor_."

With that, she was gone.

Amy and Rory immediately rounded on him. "Where is she? What did they do to her? What are we going to do now?" they asked, firing questions at him faster than even he could comprehend.

The Doctor held up a hand to silence them, struggling to find the words to explain. "On my home planet, Gallifrey, children were taken from their home at the age of eight to study at the Academy, in the Citadel of the Time Lords. There's an initiation, much worse than your hazing...a child, eight years old, looks into the Untempered Schism and sees eternity, the raw power of time and space. It gets in your head, changes who you are. Some are inspired, some run away, and some go mad."

"You did that?" asked Rory.

He nodded. "That's what they've done to Rose, but she's human. It won't work the same way. They've showed her the entirety of Time, enough to kill _me; _she should be dead; her mind should have burned. But it hasn't. They've turned her into the only thing that could bring me down: someone like me."

"So how is she alive?" Amy asked, "We saw her standing there."

"It's impossible," the Doctor said, pacing and gesturing wordlessly with his hands as he worked through the problem. "I don't know. It doesn't make sense. It should be impossible."

The cloister bell rang again, and three sets of eyes turned to the screen on the console. Two words, burning gold against the dull black background: _BAD WOLF._

* * *

When Rose woke up, the entire world seemed to be rocking from side to side. This must be what feeling seasick would be like. Her head was pounding, her vision blurry, her whole body heavy. A thick blanket was draped across her body, and as she regained more awareness of her surroundings, she felt the pinch of an IV in her inner elbow, and several heart monitors on her chest.

Wherever she was, they were taking care of her.

Rose tried to sit up, but her muscles wouldn't aid her. The only time Rose had ever felt this weak was when she got her wisdom teeth removed several years before. Settling back on the stiff pillow, Rose looked around as best she could.

The room was stark white, like the room of her nightmares, with a steel door on the raised loft. A large, dark window was on the wall to Rose's left, but she was unable to see out of it. The cream blanket seemed to be the only contrast in the room, and a bland one at that. A beeping that must have been her pulse came from a tall machine on her right. It looked similar enough to the ones on the telly that Rose figured they were measuring her vitals.

What was this place? She remembered being kidnapped, but then she blacked out-no, they drugged her. And then there was that terrible light (or was it darkness?), and then she saw the Doctor. The Doctor was in the TARDIS, coming to save her. And then Rose fell asleep, and now she was awake.

She didn't get more than a few seconds of time to herself before the silvery door slid open and a woman in all black came in, followed by several scientists and a man in a military uniform. The woman withe eyepatch smiled as the group walked down the stairs to where Rose was laying. "Good evening, Rose," she said, her pinched voice ringing in Rose's ears. She thought she could hear her own blood pumping through her body. "Do you remember who I am?"

Rose cleared her throat and said, "Madame Kovarian." The back of her throat felt sore, like she had been screaming.

"Good, dear," Kovarian said. "Are you ready for your next examination?"

Unable to control herself, Rose began to cry and begged, "Please, _please_, just let me go home. I won't say anythin', please, I jus' wanna go home."

"Oh, Miss Tyler, we will let you return to your mother as soon as your job is done." Her long, black fingernails brushed against Rose's lower eyelids as she wiped away Rose's tears.

"Please," Rose whispered as the scientists took away the blanket and lifted her from the stiff bed. "What do you want with me?"

"We need you for a very important job, Miss Tyler," Kovarian explained. Her patience and kindness was worrying. "Once we're done with you, you're going to kill the Doctor."

She shook her head viciously, tossing knotted blonde hair in her face, getting it caught in her mouth. "No, I won't," Rose refused.

Madame Kovarian simply grinned. "I think you will, Miss Tyler. You see, the Silence is a religious order that cannot be fought. I am merely an envoy of theirs, sent to take care of you until you are ready for them. And to get you ready for the Silence, we have to prepare you for your ultimate job-your life's purpose: to kill the Doctor."

"I won't!"

"You won't have a choice, dearie."

Rose hadn't even noticed they'd left the room and were standing in a dark courtyard until an ancient circular device was moved in front of her. The scientists and guards moved back so that they were in a semicircle around Rose. A large Silent caught Rose's attention, hissing, "Look."

Her mind felt foggy seconds later, but she was drawn into looking at the large circular thing before her. It came to life, swirling orange and gold and red, dark and light at the same time. It was eternal, whispers of life and death floating around Rose as she stared into the light. So many visions and whispers circling her...

_Tall red grasses blowing in the breezes, past the silver trees and toward the mountains. A double sunset illuminating the evening sky, Time itself wound around this place._

_ The creation of a planet, from molten lava to dark rock to waters and soil and destruction and growth to decay and death. Birth and burial, love and loss._

_ A vicious war throughout all time, destroying everything that ever was._

_ Run you clever boy, and remember._

_ The tears of a man in a leather jacket, the moment. An entire universe without stars, a sky with different planets, the difference between good and evil. The first human and the last human. Time flying, time dragging, everything dying._

_ A message throughout all of time and space: BAD WOLF._

_ So much love, so much war. Judy Garland singing, Henry VIII composing 'Greensleeves' for his wife Anne Boleyn. Meteors lit up the sky, falling to the ground as the large and small dinosaurs ran for safety which would not be found. D-day on the shores of Normandy, the destruction of London towards the end of Earth's life._

_ Rescue me, chin boy, and show me the stars._

_ A message sent everywhere, every-when, to find the Doctor, to save the Doctor, to save her. A message to lead her to where she needed to be, because this was meant to happen._

_ Mysteries she couldn't fathom, darkness that light couldn't penetrate, a black hole of information being squeezed into a vacuum. A human mind, not quite so human anymore, protected by the essence of a psychic link established long before. Knowledge that couldn't be understood by a human, pressed into the aching mind of a young woman. Yes, there _was_ something of the Wolf about her._

_ Everything that was, everything that could be, everything in the sacred balance between life and death._

Rose Tyler could only look into the Untempered Schism for less than the time it took a human to blink before she fell to the ground, the pressure of the universe trespassing in her mind too much for her human body to handle.

* * *

**I hope Rose's journal wasn't too OOC or anything. Diaries are harder to do, especially for someone as awesome as Rose Tyler. Anyway, please review! Your thoughts mean the world to me! (And also get you quicker updates...)**

**Next time: Grains of Sand**


	13. Grains of Sand

**Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy and please review!**

* * *

_Chapter XII - Grains of Sand_

The evening sky was pink and yellow, much like a human girl the Doctor was missing. He leaned in the TARDIS doorway, watching Amy and Rory fling handfuls of wet sand at each other. A cool breeze drifted off the ocean; the Doctor shivered.

Things had been so stressful for the past three weeks. It felt as if they had scoured every corner of the universe, but Rose Tyler was nowhere to be found. In truth, they had only scratched their nails against the edges of the short side of an infinitely long table in one moment of time that transcended all of eternity.

It was starting to look impossible. But nothing was impossible for the Doctor, not when the life of a friend was at stake. He would die a thousand times over to save his friends, but saving her and living to tell the tale would be even better.

Three weeks was a long time. The Doctor hadn't slept for more than half an hour the entire time, and that was only by accident. (Playing solitaire while waiting for the water to boil was a mistake, especially at three in the morning; the TARDIS didn't speak to him for nearly an entire day.) Every waking moment was dedicated to locating Rose or trying to figure out how best to rescue her when she was found.

Amy and Rory did their best to help, but they were human, and wore out after only a few hours of searching. Eventually, the Doctor decided that they needed a break if they were going to be able to continue their search productively. He had always promised to take them to Hawaii. Sure, his timing was off by a few centuries. At least arriving before James Cook allowed them the peace and tranquility of a quiet beach, as long as they didn't run into any islanders who had never seen a European before.

So far, so good.

The Doctor tossed his tweed jacket onto the railing before rolling up his sleeves and walking out onto the sand. Second thoughts crossed his mind, and he kicked off his boots and peeled off his socks before continuing. The sun sank lower against the horizon as he kneeled down and sat on the warm sand.

He ran the sand through his fingers, counting each grain as it passed through his fingers and back to the beach. He would be shaking sand out of his clothes later, but it didn't matter. Rare were the times when the Doctor would take a break and just enjoy the surroundings.

Amy's eyes met the Doctor's. She seemed to read the concern easily and even grasped the hidden turmoil within his indefinite mind, but the moment was gone by a large splash of water kicked by Rory. Amy squealed and splashed right back, shouting, "Rory! You moron, now I'm soaked!"

Rory simply splashed her again, before taking her in his arms and kissing her. Amy eventually pulled back, leaning her forehead against his.

"Why don't you go get us some sandwiches?" she asked, needing him to get out of the way so she could talk with the Doctor alone. "I'm getting kind of hungry."

He quickly looked between her eyes and the Doctor, understanding what she really meant. It was a wonderful little trick of theirs, to see what the other meant without any real words. "I'll be right back."

Amy followed Rory out of the water, but as he continued on into the TARDIS, Amy took one of the towels they had brought out earlier and wrapped it around her shoulders. Sitting down on the sand next to the Doctor, Amy waited before speaking, trying to discern if he was in the mood to speak at all.

When enough time passed and the Doctor said nothing, Amy took the initiative to say, "We'll find her, Doctor." The Time Lord nodded, and Amy sensed that that was not the problem. "Is this about River?"

He exhaled slowly before nodding assent. "I'm still in shock."

"Me, too," Amy said, taking hold of his hand. "I know it isn't what you want to hear, Doctor, but I really do think she meant well." He was silent still, and so Amy decided that even this was not the real problem. "Please don't feel guilty about River and Rose, Doctor. You couldn't have known, none of us could've-"

"It's not that," he said quickly, refusing to look away from the waters and the setting sun.

For a long time, Amy had wondered when the Doctor would start to really fall in love with River, and then her daughter, Melody. She thought she saw glimpses of emotion between them-God knew they had chemistry-but didn't often see much beyond common flirting. River truly loved the Doctor, but the Doctor only seemed to deeply care for her at best. Yes, he was married to her, but it didn't feel or look like the marriage and love that Amy shared with her own husband.

To Amy, it appeared that the Doctor loved River, but only a little more than how much he loved his other friends.

And with Rose in the picture, it was easy for Amy to see how the Doctor could have fallen for her. She had tried to ignore it, had tried to prevent it, but the Doctor was Amy's best friend. She knew him better than anybody, and could tell when he was faking.

When Amy first saw the Doctor watching that brief clip of Rose over and over again, back before they ever knew her, she saw a glimmer of hope in his eyes, something that had been missing for so long. When Rose started traveling with them, the Doctor seemed to have a renewed excitement and joy about gallivanting the universe.

That was the beauty of Rose Tyler: she made the Doctor new again.

Things weren't easy, and weren't going to be easy, but Amy knew what was wrong. "You're not in love with River, are you?" Amy trod carefully, knowing that the wrong words could shut the Doctor off from her indefinitely.

The Doctor looked to his best friend briefly, then dropped his eyes again. "I do love River," he said, guilt present in his voice, "but I don't think I'm in love with her."

"And Rose..." Amy started, unable to complete her thought.

He was quick to say, "I don't know what I feel for Rose."

"I do," Amy said, surprising herself by not feeling as upset as she should be as River's mother. "You love Rose. You love River, too, but not in the same way. Rose is special and human and _good_. River is..."

"An enigma?" he finished. Amy laughed and nodded, saddened but not heartbroken for her daughter. "When you meet someone for the first time and they have known you for years, it's strange. But when they die at your first meeting, it gives you an expiration date. The first time we met, River Song whispered my name in my ear. There was only one time I could ever say my name, which led me to believe that she was my wife. Our entire relationship was based around the fact that I would one day marry her. I never fell in love because I had to be in love, for her. You know me very well, Amelia Pond. I never do anything I'm told."

She gave a short laugh that felt more like a sigh.

"There's no telling how much more time I have with River," the Doctor continued. "I could never see her again. Dropping her off at Stormcage could be the only goodbye I ever get, and I hate myself for that. _Or_ I could see her a dozen more times, or a hundred. There's no way to know."

Amy smiled, "Spoilers."

He laughed. "Exactly." Both looked out at the ocean, watching the waves crash against the shore. "Rose Tyler had a life back on Earth, a life that I stole her from. She can never go back to being that shop girl, would never choose to go back. And by allowing her to be taken by the Silence, she may never see her mother or boyfriend again. Time will pass and Rose Tyler will go missing, never to be seen. The people around her will be heartbroken, perhaps even accused of some heinous crime they didn't commit. And all because one selfish old man coerced her into traveling with him."

"You sound like a serial killer when you say it like that," Amy said, elbowing him gently to remind him that she was kidding. "We're going to find her, Doctor. And you will see River again. I don't care if we have to tear this universe apart to find her, or to get you back to River. You will see them both again, I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

"I've got three kinds of sandwiches!" Rory's voice called loudly from behind them. Amy and the Doctor turned. The Roman sat down next to his wife, passing out plates of food. "Take your pick. I guess the TARDIS was feeling generous. I hardly had to do anything at all."

"Probably because the ship's a _she_," Amy said, raising her eyebrows in amusement at her own joke. The TARDIS door slammed shut suddenly and Amy rolled her eyes. "I'm kidding!" The light atop the police box blinked once in response. Smiling, Amy said to the Doctor, "I think you need to have a nice chat with your ship and tell her that I mean well." Louder, she added, "And I'm a _girl_ so I can make all the feminist jokes I want!"

The Doctor made up his mind quickly, before his better judgement could challenge himself. "Tomorrow, we're going back to Stormcage, to visit River."

Rory, not having heard the earlier conversation, was surprised, and looked to Amy for explanation. She shook her head slightly, assuring him that she would tell him everything later. Amy took her husband's hand, and leaned her head on her best friend's shoulder.

Hell would break loose and the heavens would crash down, but all of it could wait until tomorrow. For this moment was paradise, and they did not want to let it go.

* * *

Rose looked out of the giant window in her private quarters. Instead of showing the outdoors, as she had initially thought, the window showed the inner workings of the base she was kept in. The glass was several inches thick, but gave her a first-class view of the commons area. Occasionally, she would see Madame Kovarian walk by, or one of the scientists who accompanied her to her 'examinations'. When that happened, Rose turned away, fixating her attention on something else.

They could imprison her, force her to look into what they called the Untempered Schism, but they could not take away her thoughts. No matter what they did, they couldn't keep her from thinking.

Rose thought plenty, more than she ever did before. Now, Rose wasn't stupid, nor had she ever downplayed her own natural intelligence. But before, Rose had never been faced with a life or death situation in which she was held against her will. None of her escape plans were practical. Views of the guards from the window were enough to tell her that.

Not counting the very first time, when she had been unconscious, Rose had been forced to look into the Untempered Schism seven times. She never stayed conscious long, only long enough to make them happy. Her headaches seemed a normality now, as they never went away, only worsened after her treatments.

As hard as Rose fought, she could not disobey the Silence. She couldn't remember seeing them, but she knew they were giving her commands. It started slowly. Rose would wake up one morning, and immediately feel the need to put on her slippers. She would have thought nothing of it, except Rose hardly ever wore slippers. The impulses increased in frequency and absurdity until she realized they were controlling her without her even knowing it.

Something, perhaps the warm tingle she constantly felt in the back of her mind (the only comfort she had in this awful place and the only relief from her migraines), told Rose that she could fight the Silence, could keep herself from doing their will, but Rose wasn't strong enough. She fought every impulse she had, but it was not enough.

The Silence implanted the idea in her head without her even knowing it, and she had to obey. This was how they were going to make her kill the Doctor.

They would never be able to make Rose change the way she felt for the Doctor, but they could command her to destroy him. That hurt worse than never being able to see her friends or her mum again. She would kill him, and have no control over it.

Rose already dreaded that day.

She laid down on her bed, folding her hands across her stomach, and stared up at the white ceiling. Her head was throbbing especially painful right now, and the darkness might make her feel better. The back of her eyelids was peaceful against the battle of her prison.

No one had told her what the Silence were doing to her, but Rose had figured it out on her own. She was looking directly into Time itself, and it was slowly killing her. Best case scenario, she would die before they could ever force her to kill the Doctor.

If she focused, Rose could see anything she wanted from any time; past, present, or possible future. Rose mentally visited her parents' wedding, seeing her dad for the first time. She saw her father's death, helpless to do anything to stop it. Rose could see Amy and Rory's wedding, River's birth, the Doctor's final death. All of Time was in her mind, and she knew what would happen. Most of it was in flux, but there were fixed points: Pompeii, the first humans on Mars, the death of the Doctor at the hand of River Song. The only thing Rose wasn't sure of was her own future.

But her past was open to her. She revisited her home, imagined speaking with her mum (her mobile was long gone, confiscated by the scientists who were studying its primeval inner workings), even saw what happened when she had been possessed by Cassandra. Now _that_ was a good snog. But God was it embarrassing. She hardly knew the man, and then two seconds later she was trying to shove her tongue down his throat! Rose blushed at the thought.

If she could go back and tell herself what and what not to worry about, she would. Yes, think about Mickey. No, don't worry about him. Yes, those cryptic messages are creepy. No, don't leave reminders to boost self-esteem all over the place; this was not her own home. Reminders to 'be who you want to be' and 'be the grown up woman Diana was' were not necessarily needed when Rose had friends who often told her how brilliant she was, sometimes twice a day.

The steel door above her opened, and Rose resisted the urge to open her eyes. That, she knew, was plain human curiosity, not Silence-induced action. Thinking she was asleep, the scientists started pulling her out of bed. Rose refused to play along, so she immediately wrenched out of their grip and stood up herself.

She may not have freedom, but she had her pride.

* * *

River watched as the TARDIS appeared slowly. Gripping the bars of her cell, she felt her stomach flipping. Surely he was still angry with her. Or would this be a younger Doctor? Who would step out of the police box?

The man who stood in front of her soon was cold and stiff. He was angry, and tired of searching for Rose. "Hello, sweetie," River said, her heart not quite in her words. The Oncoming Storm was a fearsome thing, and she had no desire to be on the receiving end of his wrath once again. "If you want a divorce, I'll need a pen to sign the paperwork. They don't let me have sharp objects in here."

The Doctor sighed and opened his mouth to speak, "River, I-"

She held up her hands in jest and smiled. "I was only joking. Technically, our marriage is unofficial and therefore does not require a divorce." Saddened by her own jokes, River continued, "I know you don't want to speak with me. And I am so sorry, Doctor. I was doing what I thought was best. I now see that I was wrong." She didn't let him speak, although he tried. "Please, Doctor, have a wonderful life. I know you will, with her. Friendship dies and true love lies, when a good man goes to war."

Comprehension dawned. "So she's-"

"At Demon's Run?" River interrupted. "Yes. Doctor, I'm sorry I could never be there for you like my parents, or like Rose. I'm sorry I betrayed your trust and did what I thought was right." Her words sounded sarcastic, but she was speaking the truth.

He was still upset, but he could hear her in his hearts the entire time he was away. For he did love her, just not as she loved him. The Doctor sonic-ed open her cell door, and took her hands in his. He might not be in love with her, but he did love her. "You are always here to me," he said, "and I always listen. And I can _always_ see you."

She was hurt by his words, but glad to know the truth. "Then why didn't you speak to me?"

"Because I thought it would hurt too much."

River sighed. "I believe I could have coped." He never did trust her with her own feelings.

"No," the Doctor argued, "I thought it would hurt me. And I was right." And then his lips were on hers and it was simple and perfect, but full of love and passion and wants and dreams and _so much more_. But it was over too fast, and River felt his pain in her own stomach. He looked at her nervously, "Since I'm supposed to be very, very angry with you right now, God knows how that looked." But then he was serious again, holding her close. "There is a time to live, and a time to sleep. Your actions broke my hearts, River. I know you were just trying to help, but my life is _my _life. Your thinking otherwise was my fault, I know, but you should have learned that by now."

And it was then that she knew he never _truly _loved her. The kiss had been for her sake, not his. It hurt, but she would not lie to the man she loved more than life itself. "It's hard to leave when you haven't said goodbye."

"Then tell me, because I don't know. How do you say it?"

She smiled coyly, trying to tell herself that it wasn't over, that he was going to come back to her one day, because he would. This was only an ending for him. "There's only one way I'd accept. If you _ever_ loved me, say it like you're going to come back."

He screwed up his face as he stepped back, before smiling widely and clapping his hands together. "Well, then. See you around, Professor River Song."

"Till the next time, Doctor."

"Don't wait up."

"Oh, there's one more thing."

His grin grew. "Isn't there always?"

She smiled at the man she called her husband, knowing her time with him was almost up. "I know this isn't the last time I see you. Don't you want to know how?"

The mystery had perplexed him, her knowing more than he would ever know about her, and he was wrapped around her finger (but when hadn't he been?). "Okay, how?" he asked, somewhat afraid to know the real answer.

"Spoilers," she laughed. There was a pause, and then the last words she said: "Goodbye...sweetie."

The Doctor stepped back into the TARDIS, closing the doors behind him. As the TARDIS faded away with that awful sound of the brakes being left on, River smiled sadly. He should have been more careful with his diaries. Only seconds later, the TARDIS rematerialized, the sound wheezing slightly differently; it was a younger TARDIS.

Just as before, the Doctor stepped out, but this time with a haircut and a new suit. River smiled.

* * *

No one wanted to speak. Hours passed in silence, only the sound of the time rotor filling the air. The Doctor sat in the swing under the console, fiddling with the wiring. Amy sat on the captain's chair, trying not to think that she might never see her daughter again. Rory paced the floor, stopping occasionally to lean against the railing. It was only a matter of time before the ice cracked and they plunged into the icy waters.

He had been so angry with River, only to come back resolved and sad. Amy and Rory had so many questions they wanted answered, but knew better than to ask. They had watched on the console screen as the Doctor and River fought, kissed, and made up. They knew that Rose was being kept at Demon's Run (Amy had to repress a shudder, and Rory struggled to keep from immediately donning his Centurion self), and eventually they would have to stop moping and start the rescuing.

Amy finally gathered the courage and will to speak, but never got her chance. The TARDIS pitched to the side, flinging everyone onto the floor. Before Amy could pick herself back up, the Doctor was at the console, furiously working the controls and muttering to himself. At Amy and Rory's physical beckoning (speech was not high on their list of priorities at the moment), the Doctor shouted, "Something's got control of the TARDIS!" over the whine of the ship's engines. "It's like when the TARDIS was taken over before we crashed into the parallel universe!"

Everything crashed to an unnerving stillness. Amy and Rory looked to each other, hands reaching for each other automatically. All three searched the console room for a sign of what had happened. Nothing was out of the ordinary.

Until the doors started to glow, a golden light slipping through the cracks. The Doctor hitched a breath. Resigned, he set his shoulders and said, "It's time."

* * *

**I couldn't help but steal the dialogue from NotD; it was just too wonderful. Alright folks, the next one's the big one...and the last one. So be on the lookout. And as always, please let me know your thoughts!**

**Next time: The Parting of the Ways**


	14. The Parting of the Ways

**Thanks for the reviews! Without further ado, here's the final installment:**

* * *

_Chapter XIII - The Parting of the Ways_

There were two things that the Doctor regretted more than anything in his many lives.

The Time Lords were a corrupt and power-hungry civilization. Gallifrey was ruled in a manner that was harsh and unforgiving with laws that begged to be broken, only to sternly reprimand offenders with banishment or forced regeneration. Proud and prejudiced, the Time Lords saw themselves as the most supreme species in the universe, rivaled only by the Daleks, who remained inferior.

As much as it pained him, the Doctor had had no choice. To save the universe and the innumerable planets and systems, he had to destroy his own people. His children, his children's children, his friends, his colleagues, even his enemies. From a world where everyone was connected at all times to a time when he was alone in his mind and being, the Doctor knew pain.

The Daleks were supposed to have died. Of course, the Master wasn't supposed to have survived either. And the Time Lock wasn't meant to be broken. It would have been so easy for the Doctor to simply rid the universe of himself, if not for those damn Daleks. Despite all the chaos he could throw at them, they prevailed. He was afraid that, one day, they might win.

The silence in his mind was enough to drive him mad. Every second of emptiness reminded him that killing his people was his fault. If there had been any other way to stop the Daleks and the corrupt Time Lords, the Doctor would not had destroyed Gallifrey. It broke his hearts to think of it.

His other regret was ruining so many lives. He had committed mass genocide more than once, inadvertently led people to their deaths, gave humans unrealistic expectations. That was his curse; he made people want his life. The Doctor thought himself a monster.

And now, this was the culmination of his sins, the price he must pay.

Gold light and wisps of energy seeped through the TARDIS doors. The Doctor took a step forward, unafraid to let the light touch him. Placing himself as a barrier between the light and the Ponds, the Doctor waited patiently for some sign to move. The keeper of the light was cordial at least.

All of the time lines he traced led to this: a hitch in Time, a break of life and death. The Doctor raised his hand and, summoning every ounce of courage he ever had, snapped his fingers. The TARDIS doors opened inward, revealing a golden goddess.

It was Rose Tyler, though not as she had been before. Dressed in white, her long hair hanging golden around her face, Rose was surrounded by the shimmering light. It even seemed to radiate off of her; she was the source. He took another step forward, discerning what she now was.

Her eyes burned gold, searing into his own. "Doctor," Rose said, but her voice sounded different. It echoed within itself, as if she were speaking with two voices. The overall effect was ethereal and haunting.

"What have they done to you?" asked the Doctor, knowing full well what she had been forced to endure. The Untempered Schism was a monstrosity to the children of Gallifrey, who were born to embrace it. Rassilon knew what it would do to a human.

Golden tendrils snaked outward, wrapping around the TARDIS console. Amy and Rory felt the time energy swirl around them, into them. Rose was a surreal vision, blinding to their eyes. "I looked into Time," she said, stepping into the TARDIS, "and Time looked into me."

Moving within several feet to her, guilt pressed upon the Doctor's conscience. If it were not for him, this never would have happened. He was the true monster of the universe. "Rose, you looked into the Time Vortex. No one's meant to see that."

Her eyes flashed, and the roaring filling his ears loudened like thunder. "I am the Bad Wolf. I create myself. I take the words," she waved her hand and golden letters appeared to read _'BAD WOLF'_, "I scatter them in time and space, a message to lead myself here."

The Doctor wanted to argue with her. She did not bring this upon herself, she could not have brought this upon herself. But all of the power in the universe was in her hands, and she could tear everything apart without knowing what she was doing. Rose was dangerous, and the Doctor didn't know what to do.

This was all his fault. "Rose, you've to stop this. You've got to stop this _now_. You've got the entirety of Time running through your head. You're going to burn." Taking a chance, he searched for Amy and Rory, motioning for them to move back. If this got violent, he did not want them injured. He could always regenerate. While Rory had come back from the dead several times, who was to say it would happen again?

He took another step, but Rose was faster. With a simple wave of her hand, she had wrapped him in the golden light, and he was frozen to his place. "The Silence have created me. I was made to do as they wish."

Tears came to the Doctor's eyes. When he brought Rose Tyler along with him in the TARDIS, he only meant to show her the stars. He never meant to ruin her life, to kill her, to destroy her. "Please," he said, trying to remain strong, but knowing that he would crumble. The Silence could claim him as their enemy, but they were not his. The Doctor's own worst enemy was himself.

No expression could be read on her face except glimpses of anger and power. "The Silence did not realize their mistake. The Bad Wolf has no master. I want you safe. My Doctor. Protected from the false god."

Amy screamed in surprise, and the Doctor spun around. The entire room was filled with Silence. So focused on Rose, he hadn't noticed them enter, and if he had, he'd forgotten. Amy and Rory were in their clutches, yelping out from shock, but otherwise unharmed. Rory nodded to Rose, as if to turn the Doctor's attention back to the one with the control of the room.

Rose was not fazed. "I can see the whole of time and space. Every atom of your existence, and I divide them." With a wave of her hand, the golden tendrils wrapped around the Silence, glowing brighter and brighter as their monstrous screams grew in intensity. It was a gruesome sound and sight, but just as the light grew so bright that it was like staring directly into the sun, the Silence were burned into nonexistence. Rose, with the power of the Bad Wolf, had destroyed them. "Everything must come to dust. All things. Everything dies. The good man's war ends."

The Silence were gone, and the Doctor knew that Rose had overcome her captors and destroyed them completely from the entire universe. He felt the absence of Demon's Run, and could imagine the screams of every Silent or agent of theirs to walk the universe.

Amy and Rory were huddled in fear against the console. Rose had such magnitude of power, it was impossible to look away. But she was intense and frightening and compelling.

"Rose," the Doctor begged, finding he could move around once again, "you've done it. Now stop. Just let go."

Rose looked directly at him, into his soul, and his mind rang with the sound of voices once more. No, his people weren't alive, but the song of the TARDIS filled all of the empty space, and that was when the Doctor understood how Rose had beaten the Silence.

She was a normal human girl, but with a powerful friend. The TARDIS's psychic link stayed with Rose even as she was captured and forced to take in the Untempered Schism. The mental shields put in place upon Rose's first visit into the TARDIS were strengthened by the old girl, protecting Rose's mind from immediate annihilation.

Rose looked right into him and sounded almost human as she said, "How can I let go of this? I bring life." Her eyes moved to Rory, and the Doctor understood that Rose took control of the past, bringing Rory back to Amy as a Roman, as a paradox, as an impossible creature.

"This is wrong! You can't control life and death," the Doctor said, knowing that he had to play his cards carefully. This was a pivotal moment in time, and everything that had ever happened in the universe could instantly be shredded if the wrong words were said.

Rose turned her head sharply. "But I can. The sun and the moon, the day and night. But why do they hurt?" She was crying.

"The power's going to kill you," the Doctor admitted, his own tears slipping to his cheeks, "and it's _my_ fault."

"I can see everything. All that is, all that was, all that ever could be."

The Doctor's hearts soared. If he could bring her out of this alive, she would understand him in a way that no one else ever could, not even River. Since the death of his people, the Doctor had been alone in the universe. There wasn't a single soul who knew all as he did. It was terrifying and terrible, but this was a blessing. Rose Tyler, the girl who had taken the Doctor's hearts, would be the one to save him.

"That's what I see," the Doctor said, unable to keep a smile from forming. "All the time. And doesn't it drive you mad?"

She didn't answer, turning solemn once more. Every time line that the Doctor could follow led to ultimate destruction, he just didn't want to see it. Rose could not ignore it. Her eyes still burned, the gold still blinding him as she said, "I have to erase Time, to put things back how they should have been, how they should be."

As wrong as it felt to admit, the Doctor knew that Rose was right. Like he had destroyed his home and his people for the sake of the universe, allowing Rose to survive through this power would destroy the universe in turn. But he didn't have to like it. He was a Time Lord, the laws of Time were his. He was the _winner_ of the Time War. "Please-"

Rose cut him off, her voice unyielding. "I have to."

She was right, and it hurt. The Doctor moved directly in front of her. He could beg. He could fall to his knees and simply beg for her to listen. But Rose could see absolute truth with an unbiased view. She knew that this was the only way.

If he had to rewrite Time and reverse the universe again, the Doctor would be damned if he let it happen before she knew the truth. Feelings were difficult for the Doctor to express, and this was no different. She needed to know of his gratitude. "You made me better, Rose. All that time you were with me, you made me better. I am a better man because of you."

Her face contorted in sadness. Rose's eyes still burned gold, but her voice sounded human, and the light had started to fade from its fiery glow. Her voice wavered, "And that is why I have to go. Because," she bit her lip, and he smiled at the classic Rose Tyler nerves. "Because I love you."

The Doctor couldn't say he didn't know, couldn't say he didn't expect those words to come from her mouth, but he couldn't say he knew what he would respond. And then it came to him. What else would he have ever said? Maybe at one time, he could have said it to River, maybe now he could have said it to Rose, but this was entirely different, and called for a different response. It was the truth, and it was his last chance to say it. "Rose Tyler, I-"

She raised a hand to stop him. "Don't, Doctor," she said slowly, her expression pained. "You shouldn't. I know."

And he knew that she did. She always knew. The Doctor and Rose Tyler in the TARDIS, together. But this was different. He cracked a smile and stepped in. "Rose Tyler, I think you need a Doctor."

Then he closed the distance. All of time had moved to this moment. As the Doctor ducked his head and pressed his lips to Rose's, he felt Time shift and almost pause, but not quite. Rose placed her hands on his chest, but it wasn't for long, because the Doctor was kissing _Rose Tyler_. This was his only chance to show her how he felt. It seemed natural to pull her flush against him, wrapping his arms around her as tightly as he could.

He felt the burning in her mind, heard the screams filling her ears. As the pain grew in his head, he felt the energy flowing into him. Time shifted, and its essence left Rose Tyler for the only man in the universe who could handle it.

Rose fell slack in his arms, the power of the transfer having taken all of her energy to stand. She was awake, though, and had enough residual knowledge to know that she only had a few seconds. The knowledge would fade, and time would be rewritten. Half-asleep, Rose said, "Thank you for rescuing me, chin boy, and showing me the stars. Now run. Run, you clever boy, and remember me."

The golden light grew brighter and brighter until it was unbearable, and everything went white.

* * *

A sad smile on his face, the Doctor turned and left the way he came. Andy was home safe, and the Ghastlies were taken care of. Christmas morning would come without a hitch, and everything would turn out fine. All was well.

As the Doctor walked quickly back to the TARDIS, his hearts sank. Amy and Rory would be spending the rest of their Christmas Eve together. Perhaps he could visit River. She would keep him company, maybe even offer to take him out for once. Going dancing in the Roaring Twenties sounded fun. This body didn't particularly like alcohol, so going to New York during prohibition was not a problem. River on the other hand would probably sneak her own alcohol in. Kind of ironic, really, her being the woman and him the man. Oh, well. They never were a typical couple anyway. His fingers brushed up against the blue wood of the police box door, deftly flitting over the lock as he reached for the key in his jacket pocket.

"You alright, mate?"

The voice took him by surprise. It was familiar and haunting. Spinning around, the Doctor saw that it was the girl from earlier who had taken the brunt of the insults from the teens in the Powell Estate. He looked her over. She was average height with long, blonde hair and brown eyes. A kind look could be seen on her face, and proved by the amount of pink she was wearing. He didn't recognize her at first, but then inklings of memories began to trickle into his mind, of paths not taken and choices not made.

_Run, you clever boy, and remember me._

The whisper in his mind surprised him, and it took the Doctor a few seconds to regain speech capabilities, so he only managed to stutter, "Uh, um, yeah."

The girl smiled and nodded, thinking that she had interrupted his thoughts and she was unwanted. She looked down at her feet and shoved her hands in her pockets before meeting his eyes again and giving the ancient man a smile. "See ya."

The Doctor glanced up at the sky and smiled, filled with an unattainable hope, yet an unexplainable sadness. She was from his future, a future he couldn't have. He could see that if he chose that path, a fixed point would lead him directly back here. This realization unlocked the memories of a single girl who changed his life. Rose Tyler, Bad Wolf.

By the time his frozen fingers managed to unlock the TARDIS door, she was completely out of sight. The console room was warm and empty. Even though Amy and Rory were here somewhere, it seemed just as lonely as ever. Rose Tyler would be going home to her mother and boyfriend for a Christmas celebration of their own.

He hoped she had a fantastic life.

* * *

Opening the door to her flat, Rose gasped and instantly covered her eyes with her hand. Gritting her teeth, she said, "God, mum, I'm sorry. Plans fell through-I'll just go-sorry-" Seeing her own mother snogging a man on the sofa gave Rose the creeps every time it happened.

Jackie detangled herself and said, "It's alright, sweetheart. Rose, meet Bill. Bill, this is my daughter, Rose."

_What happened to Howard?_ Rose wondered, sizing the man up. Like always, he seemed like a good-for-nothing loser. But hey, weren't they all? "I'll just, uh," Rose stammered as she closed the door behind her and headed down the hall, "go to bed now. Long day. 'Night."

"Goodnight, sweetheart," Jackie called after her. Rose shuddered as she closed her bedroom door. Where did her mum even find these blokes? And she gave Rose a hard time about the Jimmy Stone situation. But that was long past, and now she was with Mickey-a perfect gentleman. Well, not perfect, and not a gentleman, but maybe an imperfect bloke who genuinely cared and treated Rose right. It was all she could ever ask for. He could do so much better than her.

Rose changed into her pink pajamas, set her alarm for the next morning, and prepared for sleep in her messy bed, in her messy room, in her messy life.

But sleep didn't come so easily for her. At first, Rose felt like she was forgetting something. But then a different emotion washed over her. She felt that something in the air was changing. Something important would happen. Maybe she would make a new friend. Maybe she would get the opportunity to travel. For the first time in her life, Rose was filled with true, inexplicable hope.

* * *

Absorbing the entirety of time and space was not an easy feat. The Doctor pushed the energy off for as long as he could. Like in a dream, the Doctor had only delivered Andy to his home without knowing how he got there. As soon as he stepped into the TARDIS, the Doctor was filled with a burning in his mind and hearts. It was his time, time to go.

The Silence was gone, permanently. Kovarian was dead. Rose Tyler would never know how brilliant she was, nor how much she was loved by a madman with a box. Though he was dying, the Doctor would do it all over again. He would die for her any day.

There wasn't time for him to run to Amy and Rory's room to say goodbye. But maybe the TARDIS was on his side for once, because his friends were suddenly walking into the console room, saying something about being out of hot water and feeling like they'd forgotten something important. They saw the golden energy start to bubble around the Doctor's hands.

"Doctor?" Amy asked. "What's going on?"

He looked at her and smiled. "Amelia Pond, it's been a pleasure. Rory Williams Pond, don't change a bit. I'll see you soon. Geronimo!"

Like an explosion, golden energy burst from the Doctor and he threw his arms out. Amy and Rory clung to each other, wincing in the light of what they recognized as regeneration. Amelia saw it when she first met the Doctor. Their first experience with regeneration was with Mels and River, and then when River gave her remaining regenerations to the Doctor.

Just as quickly as it began, the light faded, and a different person straightened up, still wearing the Doctor's tweed jacket and bow tie. In a different voice, with a different face, with a different smile, the same person who stood in that place before said, "Hello, Amelia, Rory. I'm the Doctor."

* * *

**Thanks for the amazing ride y'all! I appreciate all the reviews, follows, favourites, etc. I hope you enjoyed this and I entertained you like the show does. If you wouldn't mind, there's a poll on my profile regarding what I'll write next. I'd appreciate your feedback on that.**

**Thank you so much for everything!**

**Hope**


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